Growing Pains
by KB103
Summary: We struggle to find out who we are and swim through fogs of uncertainty. When Callie and Arizona meet their senior year of high school, they are faced with struggles, realizations, and a whole lot of smiles. Together, they grow up and face it.
1. The New Girl in Town

Title: Growing Pains

Author: KB103  
Pairing: Callie/Arizona A/U  
Rating: T (for now)  
Summary: Sometimes it hurts to grow up. We struggle to find out who we are and swim through fogs of uncertainty. It isn't always pretty, but there is no escaping it. When Callie and Arizona meet their senior year of high school, they are faced with struggles, realizations, and a whole lot of smiles. Together, they find the fog to be a little less dense, but no less uncertain.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's, that distinction is reserved for Shonda. No copyright infringement is intended by this story, just lots of smiles and giggles.

A/N: Ok so I've been sitting on this for awhile. This fic actually has a story of its own. I originally wrote this nearly 4 years ago as a Mer/Der fic. It was my very first one and it got me into the business of fic writing. Now, at the request of my lovely girlfriend, I've been transforming it into a Calzona fic. It's just a lot of fun and I hope you all enjoy it. So yeah...this is a high school fic, but it goes past that, so buckle up peeps.

Happy Reading,

~KB~

Callie Torres walked up the stairs approaching the massive edifice in front of her. She wasn't sure exactly how excited she was about this school year. Sure, it was her senior year, but she was bored out of her mind. She already knew that she was attending next fall: the University of Maryland, having committed last year. All she had to do was sign a letter in November and her future was set. The only thing Callie had to look forward to was graduation, which wasn't until June. Basically, for the next nine months she was going to be putting up with the same shit as always: school, basketball, and well basketball. No distractions. That was her motto.

Callie entered the school and made her way to her locker. She grabbed her books and continued down the corridor to her first class, AP Physics. Waltzing into the classroom, Callie headed straight for the back. She slid into a chair at an empty table and saved the seat next to her. Not one minute later, a tall, redhead walked into the room. Callie flashed her a smile and motioned to the chair next to her. The girl returned Callie's smile and sauntered over to her.

"Thanks Callie. You know, for saving me a seat."

"What are best friends for? Besides we're in AP Physics, and I know you. You're relatively normal. Some of these people are just weird," Callie replied, gesturing to the corner where a couple kids sat exchanging Pokémon cards. Callie didn't mind the Pokémon cards, she had them when she was a kid. It was the fact that the fad died something like five years ago, and well those boys were eighteen.

Addison followed Callie's gaze, settling on the two boys. "You are so right."

Callie smirked at her, "Aren't I always?"

Addison laughed, "That you are." In all honesty, Addison was being truthful in that statement. Callie was brilliant, and Addison was no slouch herself. Together, they worked through their APs and dealt with all of the challenges high school had to offer. They had grown up together in DC, weathering the absenteeism of their parents and dealing with one another's personal struggles. Through thick and thin, Callie and Arizona stayed together.

The sound of the instructor's, Mrs. Terry, voice jarred Addison from her thoughts. "Students, pay attention please. We have a new student in class. Please meet Arizona Robbins. Arizona, you may sit with Teddy over there." Mrs. Terry motioned to a table diagonal to Callie and Addison. Addison watched her as she went to her seat. She glanced at Callie who was busy scribbling something in her notebook, not was paying the slightest bit of attention.

"Callie!" She hissed

Callie didn't even look up. "Hmm?"

Addison elbowed her, "CALLIE!"

"Oww!" Callie yelled in pain, drawing attention from the other students. "What the hell was that for?"

"New girl," Addison said motioning to Arizona.

"Does it look like I care?" Callie asked as she put her hand on her chin pretending to ponder the situation. "Oh right, nope. I don't."

Addison rolled her eyes, "Callie, for someone being so brilliant, you are fucking stupid."

"I'm going to pretend you did not just say that."

Mrs. Terry continued the class by announcing that there would be a lab that day. Addison and Callie made their way towards the lab table they were assigned to. Callie made the mistake of looking at Arizona and their eyes locked, her piercing blue eyes burning a whole into her skull. After what seemed like hours, Callie looked away and continued chatting with Addison.

Arizona watched the Latina talk with her friend. She was one of the most beautiful girls she had ever seen. Her raven colored hair was pulled back in a long ponytail, and those eyes. Arizona's breath hitched when their gazes met earlier. Breathtakingly stunning. She knew they had never met, but the girl looked so familiar. She nudged Teddy. "Hey, what do you know about her?" Arizona asked, nodding at Callie.

Teddy smiled. "That's Callie Torres."

Arizona's eyes went wide. "Callie Torres? You mean committed to Maryland Calliope Torres?"

"The one and only," Teddy replied, "So you know basketball then? That's awesome, but I wouldn't call her Calliope. That could be dangerous." Teddy shrugged, "Do you play?"

Arizona chuckled, "Yeah, I'm a point guard. I bet I could take her."

Wanna bet? 50 says you don't even score a point."

Arizona looked at her like she was insane. "Are you kidding? I'm a quick little guard; she's a post. I'll dribble around her in two seconds. You want to bet on points?

"Ok," Teddy said, nodding her head. "If you win, I'll give you 100 bucks. You won't win, so when you lose…" Teddy hesitated. "You have to make out with Mark Sloan in the middle of the cafeteria."

"Deal," Arizona replied as she shook Teddy's hand. she walked over to Callie and stood behind her. Callie could feel the blonde's body heat, her breath tickling her neck. Addison looked at Callie and raised her eyebrows. Unable to stand it anymore, Callie turned around. She was met with Arizona's blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" Callie asked, slightly irritated.

"Umm yeah. I was wondering if you wanted to play a little ball later?"

Callie smiled at her. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Arizona's eyes darkened in a challenge. "Afraid?"

Callie put her foot on the basketball she always had near. She rolled it towards her body with her foot. Kicking it up to her hands, Callie thrust the ball forward as if she was throwing it at the small blonde in front of her. At the last second however, she rolled her fingertips underneath the ball, stopping it millimeters from Arizona's face. Callie couldn't help but smile as Arizona visibly flinched. "I'm never afraid," Callie said in a harsh whisper.

Arizona stumbled back towards Teddy, who was doubled over in laughter. Arizona sat down on her stool and slouched in defeat. Teddy was was still laughing when he looked at her blonde partner. "Dude…"

"Shut up!" Arizona snapped. She sat there for the rest of the period pouting, waiting for the bell to ring.

At the sound of the bell, Callie bolted out of the room. She didn't want anything to do with Arizona Robbins or her blue eyes. She silently thanked the scheduling god that she had a free period. Normally she would do homework, but today she needed a break. What better way to take a break from the world than going to the one place she feels at home.

Callie approached the gym with a smile on her face. She hadn't shot in a couple days, so she knew this would feel good. She pulled out the key her coach had given her and let herself in. It was just the way she liked it; dark with only a few beams of light shining through, and she was all alone. To Callie, there was nothing better than taking out her frustrations on an innocent basketball. Better the ball than someone's face, namely Arizona's. Arizona, why was she thinking about her?

Shaking her head, Callie opened the door to the locker room. It was dark and no one was in sight. She walked over to her corner on the right side of the room. She opened her middle locker, where she kept her shoes, and grabbed her favorite pair. They were her custom Adidas shoes. The base was white, with beige stripes. The top and the area along the laces were lined with the same color as the stripes. Her number, 22, was embroidered on the toe in big black letters and on the heel was a smaller version.

Callie grabbed her ASO ankle braces out of her left locker. She quickly put them on and grabbed her shoes. She reached over to her right locker and grabbed a pair of baggy black shorts. She pulled off her pants and slipped the shorts on, letting them hang gently on her hips. She took off her shirt and tossed it aside before grabbing an athletic bra and a cut off t-shirt. She quickly changed, throwing the remaining clothes into her right locker. Then, she grabbed her Wilson Evolution basketball from the top of the locker on the left. She double checked that she had everything. When she was satisfied, she trudged out of the locker room and out onto the court.

As Callie was turning around to lock the door, she heard a voice. "Hey there stranger, mind if I join you?"

Instantly recognizing the voice, She whipped her head around. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question," Arizona smirked.

Callie returned her sly smile, "No you shouldn't because unlike you, I have a key."

"Well then, maybe you should lock the door next time. Besides why would you have a key?"

Callie laughed in her face, "Do you not know who I am?"

"Umm apparently not."

"I'm Callie Torres, Maryland's prized recruit," Callie snapped, getting somewhat annoyed.

"Maryland Community College?"

Callie rolled her eyes. "I was referring to the University of Maryland."

"Oh I am so sorry," Callie snickered. "Doesn't matter who you are, I'll still beat you."

Callie chucked the ball at her. "Really? I remember a certain ass kicking in Physics this morning, and rest assured it wasn't mine. But if you want to play, first to 5; we play ones and twos. Make it take it. Take it back to the 3 line, unless it's an air ball."

Arizona smiled at her and gently tossed the ball to her. "Okay then. Check up." Callie tossed the ball back to the blonde and got down into her stance. She seemed slightly amused. She put her foot by Callie and went to dribble. Callie; however, anticipated this and stuck her hand in. Before Arizona knew what hit her, Callie had a lay-up.

"1-0," Callie called out as she went to the 3 point line. Arizona was fuming. This girl had just picked her pocket like it was nothing. Callie smiled sweetly as she threw the ball to her. Arizona threw it back, a little harder than she should have, causing Callie to frown at the smaller girl. Arizona went up to pressure her. Callie made a shot fake, but Arizona didn't flinch. Instead, she tapped the ball out of Callie's hands and drove the ball in for a layup of her own.

"Ones!" Arizona exclaimed as she trotted back to the three point line. Callie frowned and threw the ball at the blonde. Arizona smirked and jabbed, making the Latina respect her drive. Before Callie could react, Arizona resumed her previous position. She launched the ball towards the net, smiling as it swished through the bottom. "3-1" the blonde said, smirking as she watched a look of shock pass over Callie's face.

Callie nearly growled as she handed the ball to Arizona. She closed the gap between them, "bellying up" as her coach referred to it. Her quads straining, Callie moved quickly and cut off Arizona as she tried to dribble around her. Arizona was surprised; she didn't expect the brunette to be so quick and agile. Never the less, Arizona caught Callie as she overstepped by just a hair. Arizona took one hard dribble before spinning to her left, leaving Callie in her wake as she hit another layup. "4-1, are you playing? It's no fun if you don't play."

By this time Callie's anger steamed out of her ears. Her hands flexed around the basketball. Arizona was so smug and so proud of herself. The blonde was damn good, Callie would give her that, but she was better. And Callie was about to prove it. She chucked the ball at Arizona and nearly hit her in the head. "Come on, let's play," she said.

Arizona took one dribble to her right and Callie slid with her. Arizona smirked before going back behind her back, but Callie anticipated it. She poked the ball free with her right hand. After gathering it, Callie set her feet behind the 3-point line, and let the ball fly to the rim. Swish. "3-4," Callie said quietly as she stood at the black line. Arizona threw the ball at her. Callie could feel the familiar tingling in her body. She always had this feeling when she felt good on the basketball court. Callie couldn't help but feel a smirk creep onto her face as she caught the ball in stride, once again sending it towards the basket.

Callie never got tired of hearing a basketball drop through the bottom of the net. It certainly didn't upset her now. "5-4, Blondie."

Arizona toyed with the ball. "Win by 2?"

"Oh definitely," Callie agreed. "I like to leave being the winner without a shadow of a doubt."

"Just play," Arizona retorted.

Callie smirked. She started to dribble with her right hand. She scissored the ball between her legs before popping it out to her right hand, making Arizona reach just a little. Expecting Arizona to make an attempt for the ball, Callie rolled it behind her. Callie took one more dribble with her left hand, pinning Arizona behind her. She pulled up, shot faked, and Arizona went flying by. Callie had all the time in the world, so she made sure she looked at Arizona before she shot it. . Swish. "Game," She called out to the blonde. "I'm going to go shower." With that, the Latina walked into the locker room not even glancing back at Arizona.

Arizona watched her walk away, unable to speak. She couldn't believe that Callie had just beaten her. No not beaten, toyed with her, then kicked her ass. Sure she was highly ranked, but rankings weren't everything, especially in high school sports. Plus Arizona was no slouch. She had received letters from various division one colleges. She just hadn't committed yet.

Arizona sighed and picked up the ball. She began to shoot around, starting with lay-ups and gradually moving out. She kept hitting one jumper after another, only missing every once in a while. Arizona heard the locker room door open. She looked, and saw Callie walking out. She smiled at her and walked out the door.

Arizona's eyes followed her as she left. There was something about her that was captivating. She couldn't put his finger on it and it was bugging the hell out of her. Arizona shot one more shot, grabbed her bag, and went to lunch.


	2. Cafeteria Chaos and Unwanted Projects

A/N: Thank you to those who took time to review. Also, thank you to all of you who take time to read. I'm flattered that you all would take time out of your day and spend it reading something I've written, I only hope that it is worth it. I will never beg for reviews, but know that I do enjoy feedback as well as replying to it. Anyway, as always…

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

**Chapter 2: Cafeteria Chaos and Unwanted Projects**

Arizona walked into the cafeteria looking for anyone familiar .She saw Callie seated with her friends, including Teddy and one she recognized from physics. She thought her name was Addison but couldn't remember. Arizona had been the new kid before and she knew sitting alone was a social death sentence. Deciding to take a chance, she walked over to them and put her stuff down by Callie.

Callie frowned at her, "What are you doing?"

"Sitting."

"Oh come on Callie, cut her some slack," Addison chimed in.

Callie glared at Addison, but then looked at Arizona. "Fine, you can sit here."

"Great," Arizona said as she gave the Latina one of her dimpled smiles. She went to get in line for food, standing behind Teddy. Callie watched her and as much as she hated to admit it, Arizona was kind of cool. She challenged Callie right off the bat, and the brunette had been impressed by that. Arizona was a good ball player and would instantly make the team a contender for the state title. She was fiery and passionate; two qualities Callie cared about in a person, especially if that person was going to be a teammate or a friend.

Addison watched Callie's eyes and followed them as Callie stared at Arizona. "Ok Torres, spill."

Callie stared at her surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about," Addison retorted. "What the hell happened between you and Arizona? There's massive tension between the two of you."

Callie blushed slightly. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Addison."

"Right," Addison replied, not buying a single word Callie said.

Callie rolled her eyes, "Seriously, nothing is going on. She came in the gym this morning when I was getting ready to shoot and challenged me. I kicked her ass and she pouted; end of story."

Addison laughed, "So was she any good?"

Callie smiled, "She gave me a run for my money. I was down for awhile. She has great instincts and is a good finisher. Plus, she's fast and quick. She's a good defender, a little predictable, but good."

"Do you think she'll play here?"

"I hope so. She would make a great addition to the team."

"Uh huh." Addison smirked at her. Before Callie could say anything, Arizona returned with a plate of food and Teddy in tow. She sat down right next to Callie, perhaps a little closer than she may have liked, but she didn't pay attention to that. She wasn't going to worry about the comfort of Callie Torres.

"Hey," Arizona said, turning to Callie, "Do you know which guy is Mark Sloan?"

"Yeah, Mark is one of my best friends," Callie replied. "But I haven't seen him in here."

Addison craned her neck as Teddy snickered. "He just walked in the door. He's standing over by the freshman girls." Addison said while shooting Teddy a glare.

Arizona took a deep breath before pushing her chair out from the table. Callie watched curiously as the blonde walked purposefully over to the tall guy. What came next, however, completely shocked the Latina. Arizona pushed through the small group of girls, so she stood in front of Mark. Without a word, she wrapped her hand around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. Callie thought Mark was probably just as shocked as she was, but he soon seemed to make himself perfectly comfortable with Arizona's lips attached to his. After a few seconds, Arizona pulled away and sauntered back to their table.

"That was…um…interesting," Addison stammered

Teddy laughed so hard, she could barely breathe."I didn't think you'd actually do it."

Callie turned to Teddy. "What are you talking about?"

"Teddy bet me that I would lose to you if we played a game of one-on-one. If I won, I got a hundred bucks, but if I lost, I had to make out with Mark Sloan in the cafeteria," Arizona explained. "I lost, so I kissed that guy."

Callie laughed. "That isn't that terrible a punishment. From what I understand, Mark is a fantastic kisser."

Arizona scrunched up her face in disgust. "I would have rather taken the hundred bucks any day."

Addison couldn't help but join the other women in laughter at Arizona's comment. "I like her," She said to no one in particular. "Just throwing that out there."

Callie glanced at her watch, "Sorry, I have to go. I have some AP next." Callie quickly gathered her things and left the table.

Arizona turned her head and watched Callie walk away. Her hips swung gently in a natural way, not like most girls. She liked the way everything about the brunette was natural. She didn't wear too much make up, her hair wasn't overly styled, and she actually wore comfortable clothes. Even on the basketball court everything came naturally. Her shot was the best and smoothest Arizona had ever seen. The way Callie played was incredible. It was like she didn't think; the movements were programmed into her.

Callie looked back and found Arizona looking at her. Her brown eyes connected with the blonde's blue ones. They stared at each other until finally Callie tore her gaze away. Arizona watched her leave until she was out of sight. She turned to face Addison who was frowning at her. "What?" She asked, unsure of why Addison was staring at her.

"What are you doing?"

"What do mean what am I doing?"

Addison raised her eyebrows, "I just watched you watch my best friend walk out of the cafeteria."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Arizona said, picking at her salad.

"Fine," Addison said, grabbing her stuff from the table, "play dumb if you want."

Arizona turned to Teddy, completely bewildered. "What just happened?"

Teddy shrugged. "Callie and Addison have been best friends for awhile. They've been through hell and back together. They're protective of each other."

Arizona shook her head. "But I don't understand why Addison would need to protect Callie from me."

"Wow," Teddy said, arching an eyebrow, "yeah…you go on and play dumb. I have to get to class, but we should hang out sometime."

Arizona just stared at her salad, trying to comprehend what was going on. "Yeah," she replied without looking up. As Teddy left the cafeteria, Arizona cleared her own space at the table, exiting a few yards behind Teddy.

* * *

Callie sat in her AP English class bored out of her mind. Currently, they were studying verb and subject agreement. It was completely ridiculous. This was an advanced placement course, not eighth grade grammar. What was worse, her class was actually screwing it up. At that moment Callie was so glad she was alone at her table. She definitely didn't want be next to someone who didn't know the difference between "is" and "are".

Callie decided not to waste anymore of her time. She put her head on her hand and closed her eyes, attempting to get some sleep. While trying to sleep, Callie heard the door open and voices. There was shuffling beside her desk, and then she felt a presence next to her.

"You know you probably shouldn't sleep in class," a familiar voice said to her.

"Callie opened her eyes and nearly leapt off her seat. "Arizona, what the hell are you doing here?"

Well aren't you the smart one? I am in class. You know like a normal student."

Callie poked her. "You are a smartass. I hate smartasses!"

Arizona smiled at her, "Get used to it."

Callie opened her mouth to say something when she heard her teacher's voice, "Ms. Torres and Ms. Robbins, would you like to share something with the class?"

"No Dr. Trent," Callie mumbled.

"Good, then I'm sure the two of you wouldn't mind presenting on how The Tempest is an excellent demonstration of human hunger for power tomorrow. You know, since you think you are too good to pay attention. Perhaps you should teach then?" Callie opened her mouth to protest, but Arizona elbowed her in the side. She turned her head and glared at the blonde. Arizona just smiled at her and looked at the chalkboard. Callie followed suit, albeit begrudgingly. Arizona just made her squirm. When she touched her, Callie couldn't think. When she smiled, Callie would nearly faint. When Arizona was rude to her, she put the Latina in her place; something no one else besides Addison dared to do. Why was this happening now? Lord did she need help. She stared at the clock waiting for 3:00. It read 2:57. She felt like hitting herself. She had literally wasted, wasted, the last 47 minutes of her life thinking about a girl.

When the bell finally rang, Callie bolted from the classroom. She made her way through the hallways, not even bothering to stop at her locker. She was looking to escape, to forget, so she went to the one place where she felt safe, the gym.

For the second time that day, Callie went into the girls' locker room. She measured her day on the times she had gone to the gym. If she didn't go once, then she had an amazing day. If she went one time, then it was just a normal day. If she went twice or more, then she was stressed out and was running from it. Today, she was running from Arizona. She couldn't stop thinking about her. She didn't want to, but she couldn't help it. Callie didn't want to get involved with Arizona in any way. She had stopped getting involved with people after George and Erica. Well it was more like she stopped dating people after George and Erica. But she didn't want to think about that either. Groaning in frustration, Callie slammed her locker shut and walked out onto the court.

There waiting for her was none other than Arizona Robbins. "What do you want?" Callie hissed at her.

"Hey, hey, what's with all the hostility?" Callie glared, her brown eyes narrowing. "Okay, I thought that we could work on the presentation for tomorrow."

Callie wasn't in the mood to deal with her. She had to get rid of Arizona and fast. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

Arizona smirked at her. "I'll wait." For next hour, she did. Arizona watched Callie run through her shooting and ball handling workouts. She didn't think it was possible to move that gracefully on a basketball court, but evidently it was. Everything she did was so smooth and natural; it was like she had been doing it her entire life.

Callie looked over at Arizona and glared. Arizona, instead of glaring smiled at her. Callie walked over to her and stood with her hands on her hips. "You're still here?"

Arizona laughed. "I told you I would wait."

"Fine, whatever just follow me home." Callie said as she rolled her eyes. She grabbed her bag and walked out the gym door. Arizona followed her out into the parking lot. She watched Callie get into her Mazda as Arizona got into her new Civic. She followed the brunette through the streets of D.C. until they arrived at her house. Arizona was astounded by the amount of money that had to be in this neighborhood. Callie's house was located at the end of the street on the right. Arizona parked her car behind Callie's in the driveway and got out before following her up the stone pathway to the door.

Callie and Arizona walked into her obscenely large house. Arizona expected to be greeted by her questioning parents, but instead he was only faced with a tabby cat.

At the site of her cat, Callie grinned from ear to ear. She walked up to the cat and picked it up, "Hi Maddie. How's my baby? I missed you, yes I did." The cat purred in response and snuggled into Callie. She kissed Maddie on the head and put her back on the floor. She looked at Arizona and gestured for her to follow her. Callie led him through a couple more rooms to the library towards the back of the house.

The Latina sat down on a brown leather couch, motioning for Arizona to join her. She didn't say a word to the blonde, only grabbed her computer from her bag and put it on the coffee table in front of them. Callie opened up Microsoft PowerPoint and began working on their presentation., not really paying attention to Arizona. She would offer up suggestions occasionally, but most were shot down with a glare from Callie.

Tired of the silence, Arizona turned to Callie and asked, "Where are your parents?"

"Working I'm sure," Callie answered without bothering to look at Arizona.

"What do they do?"

Callie sighed. "My mother owns a shoe boutique and my father is the CEO of a corporation, but he is also heavily involved in politics."

"Oh," Arizona said awkwardly, "Do you get along with them?"

"My mother and I are very close."

"And your father?"

"What's with all the questions, Arizona?"

The blonde shrugged. "I was just trying to make conversation.

Callie sighed and shifted uncomfortably. "I don't talk to my father anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Arizona replied. "I didn't realize…"

"You wouldn't know," Callie said, cutting her off. "Why don't you go ahead and go home. I'm sure you need some sleep or whatever. The presentation is nearly done."

Arizona rolled his eyes. "You've barely even started it."

Callie shook her head, waving him off. "I read The Tempest last year. I'll be fine."

"Whatever Callie," Arizona said somewhat annoyed as she picked up her bag. She stormed out of the room, through the door, and back to her car. Callie sat there typing away on her laptop, attempting to figure out what the hell was in Arizona Robbins' head.


	3. Memories

A/N: My many thanks for the reviews. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story.

Happy Reading,

~KB~

p.s. the italics are a flashback

* * *

Callie watched her leave and immediately felt sad. She looked around her mansion of a house. It was empty as usual. Her father was in New York for some high profile political dinner. It could be worse, she thought. New York was closer than Europe, where he was last week on a business trip. Her mother was out at some D.C. socialite engagement, playing up her image of the perfect wife. Callie new her father wouldn't call and her mom would come stumbling in after having a few too many glasses of wine around one in the morning.

Carlos and Nina Torres were the picture perfect D.C. power couple. They had two beautiful daughters and more money than anyone could ever spend. Their wealth provided their daughters with a comfortable lifestyle, and for that Callie was grateful. In spite of their frequent absences, Callie managed to maintain a close relationship with both of her parents. Well, that was until her father walked in on Callie kissing her, then, girlfriend Erica Hahn. After that, he threw himself into his work, and more or less abandoned her. Callie grew up with nannies, but his absence this past year was on a whole other level. She saw him maybe once a month, but he hardly spoke to her. Even on the holidays he managed to stay silent. The Christmas and birthday gifts she received this year consisted of money left on the table, usually a large sum, and a note saying "Happy Birthday". Usually her parents wrote a check for her birthday, but this year seemed eerily impersonal. Callie never spent the money. Instead, she put it in a bank account. She didn't want to live off of her parents' money forever, so she saved. She wasn't sure what the exact figure was, but it was becoming pretty large. Callie wasn't really sure what she wanted to do with it either, but some of it was definitely going to help her live in college. The rest, well, she would figure it out.

Callie slowly walked into the kitchen. Right now, she needed comfort food. She opened the freezer and pulled out a pizza; supreme, her favorite. She pre-heated the oven and waited for the pizza to be done. After removing it from the oven, she grabbed two pieces and went up to her room. Callie sat cross-legged on her bed, balancing her plate delicately on her lap. She switched on the television and changed it to channel 140. Sports Center was on. Callie quickly forgot her problems and immersed herself in the world of sports. Kobe scored 50 again, LeBron just mad an ass of himself again, Eli Manning sucked on Sunday again, and no one was paying attention to hockey. Nothing was really new, but it was enough to keep Callie's mind off of other things, namely a certain blonde that had showed up at school today. Sports Center was there for her always. When her mother and father weren't, Callie could turn on ESPN and everything would be okay.

As the sports news of the day sunk in, Callie finished her pizza. She placed the plate on her nightstand and lied down on her bed. She could still here Kenny Mayne talking, and she began to fall asleep to her evening lullaby.

* * *

Arizona was at home working on her homework. In fact, it was physics and that made her smile. That class had been interesting to say the least. She didn't want to admit it, but Callie Torres had gotten to her. She crawled into her brain, constantly sitting in the back of her mind. Arizona knew that she affected her too, even if she hadn't come right out and told her. She loved the rawness of her personality, her natural beauty, and the general enigma that Callie was.

Callie was strong and she had no problem putting Arizona in her place. That "place" just happened to be far away from the Latina. Arizona didn't know why Callie was pushing her away. At first, the blonde thought that maybe it had something to do with not wanting Arizona on the basketball team. She knew better, however. Arizona read message boards, so she knew what people thought of the brunette. Callie's main criticism as a player stemmed from her team's dearth of a championship, so Arizona knew there was no way the Latina would jeopardize that.

After coming to that conclusion, Arizona still had no clue as to what about her bugged Callie. It wasn't that she was overly rude; she just wasn't friendly, at all. She hadn't opened her arms and welcomed the blonde. Arizona, though, was used to this sort of thing. She had moved tons of times, living all across the country, but once her father had been offered the job at the Pentagon, he promised Arizona that she would be able to make through the rest of the school year in one place.

Her father was a colonel in the United States Marine Corps and now finally had a desk job. With her brother, Danny, stationed in Iraq right now, Arizona knew she couldn't handle worrying about her father as well. It was comforting for her to know that he would be safe, relatively speaking, behind a desk in the Pentagon. That was her security blanket as she curled up to go to sleep. Arizona hoped that tomorrow wouldn't be too bad, and maybe…just maybe, she would be able to crack Callie Torres' shell.

* * *

The alarm blared through Callie's room. She rolled over and looked at her clock. It read 4:30. She groaned and hit the clock off the table. She hated that she always had to get up early. Maybe if she did her homework at night, she wouldn't have this problem. Callie dragged herself out of bed and down the stairs. She picked up her bag from the foot of the stairs, conveniently located for her morning study sessions. After grabbing her stuff, she went into the kitchen and started brewing some coffee. She then sat down on a stool, reached into her bag, and grabbed her physics book along with her laptop. The assignment wasn't too difficult. All she had to do was answer some lab questions, which was why Callie was doing this before coffee. No thinking required; only regurgitation from the previous day.

As Callie was finishing her assignment, she heard the ding indicating that the coffee was finished. "Perfect timing," Callie said to herself. She closed her book and put it back in the bag. Callie walked over to the coffee machine and poured herself a cup. Sitting back down on her stool, she reviewed her presentation she had to give that afternoon.

Satisfied with it, Callie looked at the clock. It was 5:30. Her homework only took her an hour, which says something about the education she was currently getting; of course having only four classes per day does help. That reminded her. She actually had second period today, although she might as well not have. Gym was a joke, especially when her basketball coach was the teacher. It was kind of ridiculous actually. She didn't have to do anything, in fact she was instructed not to. Her coach didn't want her to end up getting some random injury in gym. That probably wouldn't go over so well.

The only thing that would be horrible about gym would be if Arizona ended up in her class. So far the only class she didn't have with her was French. She needed her space from her. She couldn't think around her. That much was obvious by the way Callie constantly had to set her jaw in an effort to control herself. She hardly knew her, and yet the only thing in her mind was running her hands through that perfect blonde hair. This was really bothering her, and as much as she hated to admit it. Arizona Robbins affected her. She affected her thinking, sleeping, breathing, everything Callie did, Arizona affected. It was scaring her..

Three years ago, Callie had been dating a guy named George O'Malley. They were both freshman and it was her first real relationship. He was sweet and kind, and for awhile at least, he made Callie feel beautiful. She had been established as the science geek who could play a sport. Socially, her freshman year had been a little rough, so she had leaned on George. By their sophomore year, however, George had started to pull away from her. On Halloween, Callie caught him with Izzy, at her house no less and her world had crumbled.

Oddly, it was Mark who had helped pick up the pieces. Callie's confidence had shattered and it was all he and Addison could do to keep Callie getting out of bed each morning. She had been utterly humiliated. She spent the majority of the year on the basketball circuit, avoiding school as much as possible. It was at that point that she began to garner attention from colleges. It was also when she met Erica Hahn.

Erica was the sister Jamie Hahn, of one of Callie's teammates on her travel basketball team. Erica came to all of the team's tournaments and she and Callie had developed a comforting friendship. For one tournament, Callie carpooled with Erica's family. During the trip, the two of them shared a moment which eventually escalated into a kiss. After a couple of weeks and awkward encounters at tournaments, the two girls embarked on a relationship.

After her father walked in on them, Callie managed to hold her relationship with Erica together for awhile, but they hid. They snuck around and it ate away at Callie. She knew it bothered Erica too and they started having problems. Then, one day, she was gone. Callie went to practice and Jamie wasn't there. She figured her teammate was sick and text Erica to see if Jamie was ok. After not receiving an answer, Callie tried again. Three days later Callie was informed by another one of her teammates that the Hahn's had moved. Upon learning the news, the Latina tried, yet again, to contact her girlfriend, but after two weeks she gave up. Erica had abandoned her much like George had.

In the months following the incident with Erica, Callie became self destructive. She would drown all of her sorrows in tequila and then sleep with someone; anyone it seemed. She thought that if she did this she would forget about George; forget about Erica, but it only made things worse. Her grades started dropping; her performance on the basketball court became poor. No one really understood what was going on with Callie Torres; no one except Addison.

Addison was there for Callie through all of that. She held her hair back while she puked and picked her up from the nastiest motels and parties. For a year, she stood by hoping that it was just a phase. It took a trip to the hospital for Addison to open her eyes and slap some sense into Callie.

May of Callie's sophomore year, she was taken to the hospital due to alcohol poisoning. Addison was called by Mr. Torres, of all people, and immediately rushed to the hospital. When she saw Callie laying on the hospital bed literally two more shots from death, Addison realized it was time for a change. No longer could she just sit with Callie while she killed herself. She had to do something. That evening they had the conversation that probably saved Callie's life.

_When Callie woke up, she looked right at Addison. "I almost died today."_

_Addison tried to smile, "You almost died today." At that point, Callie started sobbing. Addison calmly walked over to her bed and grabbed her hand. She looked into Callie's eyes; her own pleading, searching for anything reassuring. "Callie, I need you to listen to me." Callie tried to interrupt, but Addison just kept talking, "Callie, just listen. You, Callie Torres, are an amazing young woman. You are brilliant, funny, strong; both mentally and physically. You are the best basketball player I have ever seen, and I am sure the people's whose asses you have kicked would agree. You are my best friend and you almost died today. This person in this hospital bed is not the Callie Torres that I know. Where is she? I need her, and you, right now, are not my best friend. What are you doing Callie? What are you doing with your life?" _

_Callie looked at Addison and could see one tear fall down her cheek. Callie again began to cry. Addison held her hand and waited for her to say something, anything. _

_Five minutes later, Addison heard Callie's voice. "Addison, I am so sorry. I tho…I thought that if I drank enough and was wanted by enough people that I would feel like my old, confident self. I used to step on the basketball court and feel my confidence. But I'm a shell of that person now. They broke me Addison and I don't know what to do."_

_Addison sighed as she looked at her broken friend, "Callie, we can do this. I know that you can't count on your parents, but you can count on me. I will be there. We can do this together." Callie nodded and started to fall back asleep. Addison stayed with her, still holding her hand._


	4. A Little Bump and Grind

A/N: Thanks to all of those who have been reading, and a special thanks to those who have been reviewing.

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

As Callie entered Edison High, she was instantly bombarded with posters for that afternoon's "Welcome Back Dance". Apparently Izzy and her cronies had worked overtime last night to decorate the entirety of the school. The theory was that to celebrate the start of school – as if there was anything exciting about sitting on your ass doing nothing for seven hours a day, five days a week, and thirty-six weeks a year – everyone would be tortured by having to attend a dance. The plus side, however, was that there were no classes in the afternoon. Callie could suffer through a dance if it meant she didn't have to suffer through classes. It was supposed to be a surprise, but everyone knew it was coming. She figured she might just sneak away and shoot in the old gym. Unfortunately, though, thanks to the rotation, Callie still had AP English first, which meant she had to deal with Arizona. This was not boding well for her sanity.

Callie continued down the hall to Room 105 where Addison had math first period. As she slipped through the doorway, she felt a body glide by. She looked up and found two deep blue eyes staring back at her. She found herself becoming lost in them as she stared. Her head leaned against the doorway, her legs fighting to keep from collapsing. She could see Arizona's lips moving, but all she could concentrate on was how amazing they would feel against her skin.

"So…" Arizona said to her.

Callie snapped out of her daze. "Huh?"

"I asked if you were ready to go to English."

"Oh…um…yeah," Callie stuttered, "Just let me talk to Addison."

"Fine," Arizona said, flashing her a smile. "I'll wait right here."

Callie silently chastised herself for even thinking about Arizona Robbins in a sexual capacity, the blonde was probably straight anyway. She prayed Addison had some sort of reason for her to skip the dance. The last thing she needed was to see Arizona at a dance. Callie loved to dance. She loved the feeling of another body pressed against hers moving in time to the music. Being at a dance with Arizona would drive her insane. That would not be good. "Addison," Callie called to the red head who was standing across the room near Mark, "we aren't going to WBD are we?"

Before Addison could answer, Mark spoke, "Yeah she is."

Callie turned and glared. "I don't believe I was asking you Mark."

I'm going," Addison said flatly.

Callie threw up her arms. "I don't even want to know."

No you don't," Addison muttered under her breath.

Callie just shook her head and started back down the hall towards her English classroom, Arizona trailing behind her. "Callie, wait up!" The blonde shouted as she rushed after Callie. "You didn't send me the presentation."

Callie shrugged. "Don't worry about it; I'll just do it."

Arizona glared. "You don't have to do everything yourself you know. Plus when you decide to cut me out, you make me look bad and I really don't appreciate it. So fill me in on what we're doing."

"Fine," Callie grumbled before proceeding to share the details of the presentation as they walked into the classroom.

* * *

Callie walked out of the gym after second period in a daze. She had made it through first period with Arizona and surprisingly he was able to contribute some sort of coherent thought to the presentation. But then she showed up in gym and all the time she had spent not thinking about her went to shit. Arizona just had to strut into the damn gym in all of her gorgeousness and screw up her day. As usual, her coach forced her sit out, which made it worse. For those forty minutes, all Callie did was stare at Arizona Robbins as she attempted to play indoor soccer. Just the way she moved was enough to drive her to distraction. Callie toyed with idea of telling Coach about Arizona's basketball ability, but honestly, she enjoyed watching the blonde. Even if she didn't want to admit it to other people, it didn't erase the fact that Callie was totally crushing on a straight girl.

Still, she made it through the period. Two periods down only the dance to go. That was not very encouraging. They were already setting up the equipment in the gym. Soon, the bass would be thumping through the halls, and Callie would lose herself in the rhythm of the music. As much as she wanted to let loose, she didn't want to be completely intoxicated by the music. Being around Arizona was bad enough. Being around Arizona while dancing would be damn near impossible. Callie knew how she got at dances. She was a bit of a dance whore…and it was fine. At least Callie thought it was fine until she considered the prospect of Arizona being in the room.

But she didn't want to worry about that now, so she headed down the hall. Callie waited for Addison at her locker. Sometimes she was just so slow, but she still smiled when she saw her flaming head of hair come around the corner. "Hey," she called out to her.

"Hey yourself," Addison responded with a smile.

"So care to remind me why I am going to this dance?"

"Because it's going to be fun and Arizona will be there."

"I don't see how Arizona being there pertains to me."

"You know you want her. Besides, it's time you had a real relationship."

"Let's not talk about it," Callie said as they walked into the gym.

Callie entered the dance with Addison at her side. She could feel the bass thumping in her chest, and it started to relax. She was stressed, a little too stressed. She needed to get her mind off Arizona. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for someone on whom she could prey. A little bump and grind never hurt anyone.

Arizona sat in the corner watching Callie and Addison glide through the throng of people. She stiffened when she saw some kid latch himself onto Callie like Elmer's Glue. Her eyes locked with Callie's, a smirk crawling across the Latina's face. She leaned towards Addison, whispering something into her ear. Thankfully glue boy was removed, but he was quickly replaced by…Addison? Arizona's eyes bugged out of her head; her jaw was probably on the floor as he watched Callie grind all over Addison.

"Isn't that the hottest thing you've ever seen?" asked a voice from behind her.

Arizona turned around and saw Mark. She rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Presently?" he quipped, "Addison."

"You're an ass."

"You kissed me," Mark retorted.

"I lost a bet," Arizona deadpanned.

"Still," Mark said, obviously drooling, "that is hot."

Arizona rolled her eyes. "You are such an ass."

"But I'm right."

"So go dance with Addison then."

"Addison and I are complicated, but that shouldn't stop you."

"What makes you think I even want to dance with Callie?"

Mark arched an eyebrow. "You're drooling."

Arizona shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, she's probably straight."

Mark laughed. "She is most definitely not straight."

"You're kidding," Arizona replied, her mouth hanging open at Mark's confession.

"Nope."

As Arizona processed the new information she had just been given, a mischievous glint appeared in her blue eyes. She grabbed Mark's hand and dragged him out to the dance floor. "Come on," she said over her shoulder to a trailing Mark who looked like a deer caught in headlights. They neared the Latina and her red haired friend, the sight of Callie's swaying hips completely enthralling Arizona. The dancing girls parted as Mark and Arizona approached them. "Hey," Arizona shouted over the music, "can we cut in?"

Callie looked over at Addison, uncertainty written all over her face. Addison merely shrugged and grabbed Mark's hand, pulling him tight against her body. The Latina silently panicked as she gawked at the blonde in front of her. The bass continued to course through her body and Callie found it hard to concentrate. Her hips resumed a sensuous rhythm, enticing all those around her and doing nothing to quench the need Arizona could feel tingling in her own body.

Reluctantly, Arizona looked at Callie and the way her hips swayed to the rhythm. Her body seemed to be calling to the blonde. She felt a shudder pass through her as she eyed Callie up and down before licking her lips. Arizona felt herself being pulled toward her. She didn't know what she was doing, but at this point she didn't exactly care. The only thing on her mind was dancing with the beautiful brunette in front of her.

Callie gazed at Arizona as she approached her. She felt a rush of excitement pass through her body. Callie had thrown caution to the wind and all but begged the blonde to come and dance with her. There was something about Arizona that captivated Callie. Originally thinking she was straight, Callie had resigned herself to going crazy from a distance. After sneaking glances at Arizona from the corner of her eye, however, Callie not only saw her tense as she danced with Addison, but also a tinge of jealousy flashed across her eyes. Maybe Callie was playing dirty, but as she felt herself succumb to the hot beat of the music, all coherent thought left her mind.

Still swaying to the music, Callie reached out her hand. Arizona grabbed it, allowing herself to be pulled towards the taller woman. Their dancing started innocently enough, staying a couple feet from each other; each doing their own thing. Without realizing it; however, the gap between them began to close. Soon Callie reached out, threading a finger through Arizona's belt loop, and pulling the blonde flush against her body. Their foreheads nearly touched as their bodies slid against one another's in time to the music. Fearing she wouldn't be able to control herself much longer with Arizona's lips this close to hers, Callie turned the blonde around in her arms so her back pressed against Callie's front.

Arizona could feel Callie's breath on her neck as they danced. Her mind was telling her that it was time to stop, but her body apparently had a mind of its own. She put her arms above her head and around Callie's neck, almost as if she was hanging onto her. Their hips moved together slowly as they pressed against one another. Callie buried her head in Arizona's neck, knowing full well this was a dangerous game they were playing. Her hands now freely roamed over Arizona's torso, lightly massaging her. She began to place light kisses along the nape blonde's neck, eliciting a moan from the smaller woman's lips.

Arizona traced small circles where her fingers encircled Callie's neck, driving her crazy. She turned around and placed her hand under the Latina's chin, lifting her head so her dark eyes met Arizona's. She placed a light kiss on the taller woman's lips. Callie pulled her closer; deepening the kiss. Her hands roamed Arizona's back, slightly digging into her flesh through her shirt. Then, her eyes widened and Callie pushed the blonde away. Arizona looked at her confused. Callie sighed, "I need some air," she said as she dashed from the gym, leaving Arizona alone and very confused.

For the next couple minutes, Arizona stood on the dance floor in shock of what just happened. She just kissed with Callie Torres in a gym, during the hottest dance in which she had ever participated. It had all happened so fast, but Arizona had never felt more alive in her life. It all made sense; Callie's abrasiveness, her distance, everything. In that moment, she knew what she had to do. Arizona ran out of the gym after Callie, catching up with her as the Latina walked down the hallway. She grabbed her hand and spun her around. Arizona backed them up, pushing Callie lightly against the wall, her arms on either side of her head, effectively pinning the breathtaking brunette.

Arizona leaned his head in close to her face and whispered, "Callie, why are you fighting this?"

Callie had no idea what to do. Her head was swimming and she couldn't think. Arizona's lips were so close she could nearly taste them. That's what she wanted, to taste her; all of her. No, she couldn't do that. She wasn't ready, not after everything that had happened. Not to mention she had her basketball career to think about and school work. No distractions. She didn't need distractions. "Arizona…"

She didn't get another word out as Arizona's lips were suddenly on hers. She expertly maneuvered her lips around Callie's. The blonde gently tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth and pulled the Latina in closer. Callie's arms snaked up around Arizona's neck as hers ran down along her back. Soon Arizona's tongue was searching the brunette's mouth and she eagerly accepted it, swirling her own tongue around it.

Callie had no idea what had come over her. This girl was causing her to think things that she wouldn't have ever dreamt resided in her head. She never wanted this moment to end and when it did she let out a moan of protest. Arizona stood in front of her, looking into her eyes with her own captivating blue ones. Silence surrounded them until Callie couldn't take it anymore.

"Arizona, I…"

Arizona interrupted her by standing on her tiptoes, kissing her forehead. "Shh, don't ruin the moment." Callie nodded and let herself be cradled in Arizona's arms. Their foreheads rested against each other, their breath tickling one another's lips. Arizona picked up her head, staring into Callie's intoxicating eyes. "Hey," Arizona said in almost a whisper

"Hey," Callie breathed.

"I think I kinda like you"

"You drive me crazy," Callie confessed.

"We should take it slow," Arizona mumbled, her lips nearly touching Callie's.

Callie shut her eyes and leaned farther into her. "Yeah. Slow."

Arizona dipped her head even closer, so that her lips were actually touching the brunette's. "We should do dinner."

"Yeah. Dinner," Callie replied before crashing her lips into Arizona's once more. Her hands ran along the blonde's toned abdomen, toying with the hem of her shirt. Arizona's fingers trailed through her hair, grabbing fistfuls of the dark, luscious waves. Their bodies molded against one another, letting all of the tension from the previous couple of days seep from their muscles. Realizing their need for oxygen, they pulled away breathless, panting and trying to catch their breath.

"We should go," Callie mumbled.

"Uh huh."

Callie went to leave and slid out from beneath Arizona's body. She started down the hall, but then turned around and threw Arizona against the lockers, once again capturing her lips. She hungrily sucked on Arizona's tongue as she ground her hips against her.

Gasping for air, Arizona tore away from her. "I thought were going."

"I totally lied."


	5. I'm Not That Easy

A/N: Ok, so in light of some recent events, I have something I would like to say. I've been writing for awhile and have dealt with "forum politics" but never, in my life, have I encountered a place so hostile as a certain *cough* "community" *cough*. Fanfiction is for everyone, and it doesn't matter which site you call your home. No one should be berated for being affiliated with a certain place. At the Calzona Board we welcome everyone. If this makes no sense to you, then don't pay me any mind (but still visit the board if you want.) For those of you who understand…well…you know.

On to the good stuff….

Thanks for the reviews! Here's chapter 5. I hope you all enjoy it!

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

"You what?" Addison shouted as she walked in the front door of Callie's house. The Latina sat on the couch in the living room, taking in the sight of her best friend storming through the house. Addison turned around, shut the door –well more like slammed- and stomped into the kitchen. Addison plopped herself onto a stool and waited for the brunette to explain herself.

Callie sighed and pushed herself off the couch, following Addison into the kitchen, somewhat amused by her reaction. She found her sitting on the stool waiting, though not patiently. Callie smiled at her and walked to the freezer. She pulled out a pint of Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream and grabbed some spoons. She slid onto the stool next to Addison, handing her a spoon before digging into the softening ice cream.

Addison turned to face her friend, "So let me get this straight. You played a game yesterday. You did a presentation for English this morning. You danced this afternoon. Then you ran away, but she chased you. Then you made out against the lockers. And now you have a date?" Callie could no longer contain her laughter. She nearly fell off the stool from laughing so hard. Addison; however, was not amused. "I don't see how this is funny."

"It's funny," Callie said, swallowing a spoonful of ice cream, "because you're freaking out."

Addison rolled her eyes. "I'm freaking out because I don't want you to get hurt."

"Addison," Callie said solemnly, "you don't have to worry."

"That's what you said about Erica," Addison muttered.

Callie rolled her eyes. "Arizona is not Erica…at all."

"You don't even know her!" Addison replied, clearly frustrated. "How do you know she won't just up and leave?"

"You're acting like I'm going to marry the girl. We danced, we kissed; it's not quite the crisis situation you're imagining."

"I still don't like it," Addison stated emphatically, taking another bite of ice cream. "Mark doesn't either."

"First of all, that is total bullshit. Mark is all for it; he told me himself. Second of all, don't think I didn't see you grinding all over him at the dance. I love both of you very much, but I refuse to be in the middle of that quagmire again."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Stop changing the subject Callie. What's going on with Mark is not the topic at hand. You have bigger problems."

Callie threw her hands into the air from exasperation. Addison could be such a drama queen. "How do I have problems? I kissed a hot girl, a really hot girl; I'm not seeing the problem at all."

Addison arched an eyebrow. "Teammates anyone?"

"Ok, you have a point," Callie agreed, eating another bite. "That can be dealt with, though. I'm not too worried about it. Besides, the season doesn't start for two months and we haven't even had our first date."

"You may not have had a date, but you got down and dirty at that dance," Addison replied, smirking as Callie blushed. "So was it good? She looks like she'd be good."

"Yes," Callie replied. "That's all you're getting."

"What?" Addison said feigning anger, but then smiling. "Hey, I have to go. My mom is hell-bent on doing the whole family cleaning thing and I've put mine off long enough."

"Okay. I guess I'll text or call you later," Callie said as she pulled Addison into a hug. Callie smiled as she walked to the door. She opened it and walked down the path to her car. "You're not off the hook, Addie," Callie shouted after her. "We're going to talk about you and Mark and soon."

Addison turned to look over her shoulder. "Whatever you say Callie."

Callie merely shot her best friend a smile before heading back into the house, eagerly anticipating her date with Arizona.

* * *

Arizona dashed around her room, grabbing clothes as she went. She slid into a pair of skinny jeans and threw on a tight, blue top. Her hair hung loosely just above her shoulders, the bouncing, blonde curls glinting in the light of her room. She was excited for this date tonight. Arizona had dated other girls during high school, but there was something different about Callie. She was energetic in a way Arizona had never seen before, and she could ignite a fire in the blonde with only one little look.

Everything about the Latina tantalized Arizona. Her hair, her skin, her eyes, her voice…everything. At the dance the previous night, Arizona thought her body might actually explode from the feeling of Callie's body against hers. As soon as the Latina's lips touched her neck, Arizona had lost it. If they had that much chemistry just dancing, Arizona couldn't help but be curious about other activities. Not that she was a fast moving or easy girl; there was just something about Calliope Torres that made Arizona want to not be wearing many clothes.

After zipping up her boots, Arizona reached for her jacket. She pulled it over her top, shook her hair from the collar, and exited her room. She climbed up the stairs to the main floor. Having her room located in the basement had its perks, or at least potentially could have perks. Her hope was that she'd be able to have small get-togethers downstairs without her parents' watchful eyes. Arizona wasn't a big partier; she just enjoyed the occasional good time.

Arizona passed her parents, who sat in the dining room, as she approached the front door. She thought she was going to make it without a conversation, but as her father's voice boomed from the other room, Arizona knew that wasn't going to happen. "Arizona!"

Begrudgingly, Arizona backed away from the door and entered the dining room. "Yes, Sir?"

"You look nice," the colonel remarked, taking in his daughter's obviously polished appearance.

"Thank you," Arizona replied, definitely nervous as to how this was going to play out.

"Do you have plans?" her mother inquired as she took a bite of her steak.

"Yeah, Mom," Arizona said, fidgeting. "I kind of have a date."

Her father raised his eyebrows. "Oh a date? So soon? Who is this girl and when do I get to meet her?"

Arizona blushed. She had come out to her parents the previous year, while they had been living in North Carolina. She had been terrified of what her parents', especially her father's, reaction would be. They surprised her, however, by accepting it, accepting her, and continuing to love Arizona as they always had and always will. Danny had been by her side the whole time, and that was the most comforting thing of all. Though, talking to her parents about her dates, whether, she was gay or straight was just awkward. "Um…well," Arizona stammered, "Her name is Calliope Torres."

"Calliope Torres," Her mother said, mulling over the name, "that name sounds familiar."

"She's one of the girls who has already committed to Maryland," her father replied.

Arizona's jaw dropped. Sometimes her father's memory amazed her. "Yes, that's true."

The colonel's eyes narrowed. "I hope that doesn't influence your decision, Arizona."

"It's one date, Daddy."

Her father chuckled. "Just go have fun Arizona. Tell us if you'll be late."

"Ok," Arizona answered as she backed out of the room. "Bye."

"Bye!" Her parents called after her.

Finally free from her parents' clutches, Arizona rushed to her car. She quickly climbed in and started the engine. Feeling a jolt of excitement from anticipation, Arizona backed the car out of the drive and headed over to Callie's.

* * *

Callie cursed as she ran around the kitchen. She only had ten minutes before Arizona arrived. She took the pot of noodles off the stove and dumped them in the strainer that sat in the sink. After taking the garlic bread out of the oven, Callie cut the bread quickly and put it in a basket. She grabbed two plates, putting a couple spoonfuls of spaghetti on both. She also put sauce on both plates and placed them on the table. After cleaning up her mess, Callie ran up the stairs to her room. She flipped through her closet before pulling out a low cut black top that she knew showed off her figure. She picked a pair of dark wash skinny jeans to wear with it along with a pair of back sandals.

Happy with her outfit, Callie ran back down the stairs just in time to hear the bell ring. She glanced at the table and realized the candles hadn't been lit. Quickly, she dashed to the cupboard where her mother kept the lighter. She grabbed the lighter and lit the candles. Callie flinched as she heard the doorbell ring again. Making sure the lighter was safely off; she threw it into some obscure part of the kitchen, hoping Arizona wouldn't find it.

Smoothing out her clothing, Callie opened the door, revealing a smiling Arizona. Callie tried to maintain her composure as she drank in the blonde's appearance, but as she caught sight of the playful smirk on Arizona's face, Callie knew she was failing. Her black jeans must have been sewn onto her body. The tall, black boots she wore only accentuated this effect. Callie caught just a hint of blue under her black jacket and it really set off the blonde's eyes.

"Wow," Callie muttered breathily. "You look amazing."

Arizona tilted her head, flashing Callie a little smirk. "So do you."

Callie moved out of the door way. "Please come in." Arizona entered the house, still shocked at the size. She shuddered as she felt Callie's hands on her shoulders. "May I take your coat?" Callie asked, her breath tickling the blonde's ear. Unable to speak, Arizona merely nodded. The Latina gently slid the jacket off Arizona's shoulders, making sure to trail her fingertips down the other girl's arms. Arizona smiled bashfully at Callie, who merely smirked in response.

Callie took the blonde's hand and led her into the dining room. After helping her into her chair, Callie sat down across from her. As Arizona settled into her seat, she couldn't help but marvel at the food in front of her. "Callie this smells amazing."

"Thank you," Callie replied, dabbing her lips from her first bite. She silently praised herself for her timing on the meal. All of the flavors in the sauce had been able to set up really well. "I promise it tastes good as well."

"Of that I have no doubt," Arizona replied with a wink, dragging her lips slowly along the forkful of spaghetti.

Callie had to concentrate, so she didn't choke on her food. She had never seen spaghetti look so sexy. "So um, what brought you to DC?"

"My father is a colonel in the Marines. He was transferred to the Pentagon, so we moved here."

"Do you like it so far?"

Arizona giggled a little. "You're going to think this is crazy, but until we moved here I had never been to D.C."

Callie shrugged. "I guess that doesn't surprise me. I mean, you probably moved around a lot right?"

Arizona nodded as she swallowed a bite of spaghetti. "Oh definitely. I've never really had the chance to visit the capital."

"If you want, I can show you around," Callie offered.

Arizona smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. "That'd be awesome, Calliope. Thank you."

Callie's eyes narrowed. "Did you just call me Calliope?"

The blonde tilted her head and smiled, making sure to put her dimples on full display. "Yeah, I like it. I think it suits you."

Damn those dimples. Callie was really starting to hate the dimples. Well, not really, because in truth, she really loved the dimples. Arizona was drop dead gorgeous, and those dimples were simply irresistible. "Well, I guess that's ok. I kind of like the way it sounds when you say it."

"That makes me happy," Arizona replied, polishing off her last bit of food. She moaned as she swallowed, causing Callie to become slightly uncomfortable. The blonde shot Callie a knowing glance. "That food was excellent, Calliope. Thank you."

"Um," Callie stammered, "You're welcome."

"So…is this where you give me a goodnight kiss or do we get to do something else?"

"Goodnight kiss?" Callie questioned. "Who says I'm that easy?"

Arizona smirked. "Really Calliope? Do you want to go there?"

"Point taken."

"Movie?"

Callie nodded. "Definitely."

The two girls went into the TV room and curled up on the couch after selecting a movie to watch. Arizona pushed for a Disney movie, but Callie managed to talk her into The Hangover. Callie was pretty positive that she would hate it, but it was all part of the plan. She draped an arm around the blonde, pulling Arizona close. Callie could feel the energy passing between them. It was borderline electric and the only thing she could think of as the opening credits rolled was pulling the blonde in for a kiss.

Callie's breath caught as Arizona turned to face her. Those eyes. Callie could feel herself leaning in, even as she thought about fighting it. Once she felt Arizona's breath dance across her lips, however, Callie was done. Closing the gap, she captured Arizona's lips in a tender kiss. But as Arizona tugged on the Latina's brunette locks, Callie deepened the kiss, moaning at the sensation. Callie felt herself being pushed back against the couch. Once Arizona pressed the full length of her body against the Latina's, Callie lost all coherent thought. She just felt so good. As the blonde nipped at her neck, Callie knew this was getting out of hand, but she didn't know if she could stop.

Callie moaned as Arizona rolled her body against hers. Oh boy. This was definitely getting out of hand. "Arizona," Callie moaned. "you are amazing, but we have to stop."

Arizona sat up, a confused face adorning her features. "You ok?"

"Oh my God yes. I just want to take it slow. I want to do things right, you know?"

"OK." Arizona nodded in agreement. "Can we…still cuddle?"

Callie pulled Arizona down in front of her on the couch. "Definitely."

"I'm going to hate this movie aren't I? Arizona asked as Alan peed on the floor.

"Probably," Callie said with a sigh. "Why don't you go pick something else."

"You're the best!" Arizona exclaimed as she ran to the DVDs, grabbing Sleeping Beauty, much to Callie's chagrin.

"I better be," The Latina murmured once Arizona was back in her arms. She definitely deserved date of the year after this torture. But as Callie curled up with Arizona, she thought that this could be worth it.


	6. Afterglow

A/N: Hey peeps. I know it's been awhile, but I was off getting engaged, so I was a bit preoccupied. Here is the next chapter. Thanks to all of you who have been reading and a special thank you to those who have been reviewing. Shout out to havesomecake and veritas 21. You guys consistently review and they always make me smile. As always…

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

Addison sat in her kitchen bored out of her mind. Callie had her date with Arizona, though she doubted they were still together. It was 9:00, however, and Addison had yet to hear from her friend. Selfishly, Addison hoped that she would be seeing Callie soon, though she and Arizona were probably spending their evening rolling around on the couch, forgetting Addison even existed. Drumming her fingers on the table, Addison exhaled. Her homework was surprisingly finished, so she had nothing to do. Basically, the rest of her evening consisted of waiting for someone to text her, telling her to do something. She needed more friends.

Addison heard her phone beep, indicating that she had a new text. Apparently God had been listening. Unexpectedly, it was Mark informing her that he would be at her house at 9:15 and that she better have food. Addison looked down at her outfit. She was in sweats! Mark was coming over in five minutes and she was in sweats. A week ago, Addison wouldn't have cared, but ever since the dance, she and Mark had been flirting with the idea of getting back together. Neither of them had been explicit about their desires, but there was…something. It was enough to make the Addison conscious of her appearance. She bolted from the kitchen and sprinted up the stairs to her room. Opening her dresser, she began tossing clothes all over the place until she found her favorite pair of 7 jeans. Callie would kill Addison if she knew that the red head was hanging out with Mark, especially if she discovered the jeans. Addison was wearing. After sliding on her jeans, Addison ran to her closet to grab her orange Juicy Couture shirt. She quickly discarded her other shirt and replaced it with that one. She looked at herself in her full length mirror and decided to quickly fix her hair. Satisfied, she dashed back down the stairs in time to hear the doorbell ring.

She opened the door and there stood Mark with his trademark smirk. Addison loved that smirk; it made her insides flip and her toes curl. "Hey"

"Hey."

Addison smiled at him, knowing that this could very well lead to trouble. "Do you want to come in?"

"Sure," Mark replied while his eyes scanned Addison's body, licking his lips in anticipation.

Addison rolled her eyes and stepped aside so he could enter the house. She moved to close the door and purposely brushed her hand across his stomach. Mark's body stiffened at her touch, his abs tightening under Addison's fingers. She turned around after closing the door and flashed him an innocent smile.

Grabbing his hand, Addison pulled him along into the kitchen. Addison went straight to the fridge. She pulled out some pizza and a coke. "You want anything?" she asked as she put some pizza onto a plate.

Mark turned her around and pushed his body against her, pinning Addison against the counter. "Yeah," he whispered into her ear, "I want you back." He put his hand under her chin and brought her lips to his. He kissed her gently, but passionately; caressing her lips with his tongue. Addison's arms were wrapped around his neck, clinging as he kissed her. Mark reached behind her and swept everything off the counter. The pizza toppled to the floor, but he didn't care. He picked up Addison and placed her on the freshly cleaned counter. He recaptured her lips, only more forcefully. His kisses were filled with need, a need that only she could satisfy. In the past, he had not been honest with Addison, but he was determined to change. Mark slipped his hands under her shirt. He slid it up her body and threw it across the kitchen.

Before he could kiss her again, Addison put her hands onto his chest. "You really want me back Mark?" Mark nodded his head, but spoke no words. "Prove it to me."

"How?" Mark asked. Addison scooted off the counter, her hands still on his chest. She pushed him against the fridge and started unbuttoning his shirt. She kissed him hard as she put her hands inside his shirt, rubbing his skin. Addison pulled her lips from his and made a trail downwards. Her fingers skimmed down his chest and stomach. Mark was literally hanging on for dear life; his hands gripping the top of the refrigerator, trying to keep his knees from buckling.

Addison stopped at his belt buckle. She slid one hand up his torso and placed another on his pants, massaging him through the fabric. Her body followed her hand as she came back up his body. She leaned in close, her hand still massaging Mark, and murmured into his ear, "If you have to ask, Mark…" She instantly let go of him, and went up the stairs. When she reached the top, she called back down to him, "You can see yourself out."

* * *

Callie opened the door to Addison's house. She didn't bother knocking anymore; it was pointless. Callie figured she would be able to find her friend in the living room, watching TV. The Latina poked her head in the room, surprised to not see Addison. She crossed the room, looking into the kitchen, but Addison wasn't there either. Callie noticed the pizza on the floor, and raised her eyebrows in suspicion. It wasn't like Addison to leave a mess.

Callie went upstairs, knowing that if Addison wasn't in the kitchen; she was probably in her room. She opened the door and nearly laughed at the sight. Addison was laying on her bed clad only in her bra and jeans. Addison rolled her head to the side to look at the Latina, but then quickly returned to her ceiling staring. Callie kicked off her shoes and walked around to the other side of the bed. She pulled off her hoodie and tank top before falling on the bed next to Addison, wearing just her bra and Adidas pants.

Callie turned onto her side so she was facing Addison. "So are you going to tell me why we are having a topless party on your bed? Not that I mind the topless…ness, I'm all for being topless; more being topless I say. I'm just wondering why I'm topless with you…on your bed. I prefer clubs." Laughing, Callie put her hand down on the smooth comforter. Addison mumbled something inaudible. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"How was your date?" Addison asked.

A giddy smile danced across Callie's lips. "We cuddled."

Addison arched an eyebrow. "You cuddled? Who are you and what have you done with Callie Torres?"

Callie rolled her eyes. She hated her reputation sometimes even though it was warranted. "Yeah we cuddled, maybe kissed a little bit."

"That's all I get?" Addison asked incredulously. "Come on, I'm not getting any. Help a girl out with some details."

"Judging from the mess in your kitchen, I'd say you're getting something," Callie replied with a chuckle.

A touch of crimson flushed Addison's cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about.

"I'll tell you about my date when you tell me why there is such a mess in your kitchen."

Addison turned over and buried her head into the pillow from embarrassment. "Mark came over," she said; her voice muffled.

Callie laughed, "Addison! You didn't, did you?"

Addison sat up on the bed, rubbing her forehead in embarrassment. "No, I didn't. I left him with his shirt unbuttoned and a raging hard-on."

Callie joined her friend, sitting up next to her on the bed. "You left a hot and ready Mark in your kitchen?"

Addison shrugged. "You cuddled with Arizona."

The brunette collapsed on the mattress. "What has happened to us?"

Addison fell next to Callie in a heap. "We're ruined."

* * *

Arizona sat in her room, her head resting in the palm of her hand. She was lost in thought. On her desk laid formal scholarship offers from Maryland, Louisville, and Baylor. Arizona thought she knew what she wanted, Callie messed it all up. She felt alive around the Latina. Around her, Arizona wanted to throw caution to the wind. She wanted to give Callie the world, and she didn't know where to start.

Arizona heard her cell phone buzz, indicating that he had a text. She smiled as she realized it was Teddy. Over her first week at school, she and Teddy had formed a bond. They had spent some time together after classes doing homework and such. Even though she had moved so much, Arizona still hated being the new kid. She put on a happy, perky face each time she entered a new building, but it did nothing to quell the nerves in her stomach.

When she met Teddy in physics that day, though, Arizona knew she had a new friend. Teddy was funny, driven, smart, and she understood Arizona. Also, she gave the blonde some insight into Callie. Arizona was extremely grateful for this, especially since things between she and the Latina were becoming complicated quickly. Arizona hadn't told Callie that she was being recruited by Maryland, or that she had any offers at all. Why should she? Arizona didn't even know if she was going to play for Edison. She had spoken to the coaches at the various colleges that had offered her scholarships about her situation. They had all said their offers would still stand as long as Arizona continued to play during the fall and be visible on the AAU circuit. This eased Arizona's anxiety about getting involved with yet another school basketball team, but the blonde yearned for a championship and she knew that Edison gave her a great shot at getting one.

Arizona headed down the stairs, knowing that Teddy would be here soon. She needed to escape the confines of her bedroom for a bit. She had been up there thinking since she got back from her date with Callie, so this impromptu visit from Teddy was more than welcomed. Just as her feet hit the bottom of the stairs, the doorbell sounded through the house. "I got it," Arizona called, rushing towards the door. She opened it, revealing her smiling friend. "Hey!"

"Hey!" Teddy said excitedly as she entered Arizona's home.

"How are you?" Arizona asked as they made their way back to the staircase.

"Arizona who is at the door?" the colonel asked from his recliner in the living room.

"Just a friend, Sir," Arizona responded, climbing the stairs with Teddy close behind.

Colonel Robbins raised an eyebrow. "Door open, Arizona."

"Dad," Arizona admonished, "this is Teddy, not Calliope."

Her father grinned. "My apologies sweetheart. Nice to meet you Teddy."

Arizona grabbed Teddy's hand, pulling her the remaining distance up the stairs. She led her friend to her room, closing the door gently behind him. Collapsing on her bed, Arizona gazed up at Teddy. "So what brought you over here?"

Teddy took a seat in Arizona's desk chair. "Just visiting my friend." Arizona arched an eyebrow. "Ok," Teddy conceded, "and I wanted to know how your date went."

"Oh my God, Teddy," Arizona gushed. "It was fantastic. She cooked for me and we watched Sleeping Beauty…"

"Excuse me?" Teddy interrupted. "You watched what?"

"Sleeping beauty," Arizona replied. "Well..first Calliope put in The Hangover, but she realized the error of her ways."

"Oh did she?"

Arizona nodded emphatically. "Yeah…she did. So we cuddled and talked while I sang along badly to the songs."

"Did Callie sing?" Teddy inquired.

Arizona shrugged, not knowing the significance of the question. "She said she didn't know the words."

Teddy laughed. "Uh huh. Let me know if she ever sings." Teddy spun around in the chair, catching the desk to stop herself. She glanced down at the surface, seeing the letters from colleges strewn over it. She picked up the one from Maryland before turning to face Arizona. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes it is," the blonde replied in a hush voice. "Now shut up about it. I really don't want people to find out about it."

"By people, you mean Callie."

"Basically…yes."

Teddy returned the letter to the desk. "Why so secretive Arizona?"

Arizona let out a sigh. "I'm just not ready to let things become truly complicated, you know? I went on one date with Calliope. I don't even know if I'm going to play basketball this season."

"Wait," Teddy said, holding up a hand. "I'm no expert, but don't you sort of have to play in order to be recruited?"

Arizona shook her head. "Not exactly. Girls' basketball recruiting focuses mainly on AAU. Travel teams. Since my dad is in the Marines, we've moved a lot. Edison is my fifth school in three years. The teams that have been steadily recruiting me know this, so there is a standing agreement that school ball isn't that big of a deal. My father says we aren't going to be moving any time soon, but until I'm completely sure, I'm not willing to commit myself to a team."

"I suppose that's fair, but you know that Edison is ripe to go far this year."

Arizona nodded solemnly. "I know."

"Promise you'll think about it?" Teddy asked hopefully.

"Yeah I promise."


	7. Strip!

A/N: I love you all...You're the reason I keep writing even when I'm busy. Thank you.

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

_*Beep* _The whistle blew again, sending the players down the court in another sprint. Callie's feet pounded into the hardwood as her legs propelled her forward. Heart pounding, the Latina planted her foot on the free-throw line before pushing off and heading back to the baseline. She grunted, as she pushed off the line, yet again, heading to the opposite baseline for a down-and-back. She hated suicides. These sprints just hurt. Free-throw line. Back. Half-court. Back. Other free-throw line. Back. Opposite baseline. Back. That was just one. The team was on number five. Callie's legs burned, but she knew it was for the betterment of the team that this happen.

As she crossed the baseline, Callie braced herself against the wall, taking two steps up the padded lining before falling gracefully onto the balls of her feet. Callie looked over at Arizona. Her cheeks were flushed, and her chest heaved. Callie didn't exactly find sweatiness all that attractive, but as her eyes surveyed the blonde, she couldn't help but think that Arizona was beautiful and sexy as hell. Their eyes remained locked until their coach once again blew that dreaded whistle.

"Ok girls, get a drink. We're gonna scrimmage for the remainder of practice."

"Ugh," Callie groaned as she made her way over to the Gatorade cooler. She filled her cup about halfway before mixing it with water. She downed her cocktail quickly, hoping it would give her a small spurt of energy before they played. Scrimmaging always had been one of Callie's favorite forms of practice. Callie recognized the need for drills and sprints – she had been doing them her whole life – but through to her core, she was still a gamer. There was nothing more satisfying than hitting a tough shot in someone's face, picking someone's pocket, or blocking someone else's shot across the gym. Callie lived for that feeling.

After throwing away her cup, Callie began to walk to center court, shaking out the tension in her body. She always liked to loosen up before she played, even if it was just a scrimmage. She smirked at Arizona as the blonde walked past.

"Torres," Coach Christenson yelled. At the sound of her voice, the Latina turned to face her. "You guard Robbins."

"But Coach," Callie protested, "she's a guard."

Without missing a beat Coach Christenson responded, "It'll be good for your footwork."

Callie turned back to center court, a scowl on her face. She looked over to her blonde girlfriend, who was smirking in delight. Callie frowned as Coach Christenson approached the circle with the ball. Arizona gently nudged Callie with her elbow. "You know I'm going to beat you right?"

Callie smirked, enjoying their teasing game. "Oh Arizona, you are sadly mistaken."

The blonde winked as the ball was tossed into the air, signaling the start of the scrimmage. A smirk crossed Arizona's face when the ball was tipped to her by a teammate. Callie grumbled, jogging backwards on her toes, as Arizona dribbled over the half-court line. The brunette got low into her stance and slid in front of Arizona who continued to dribble the ball up the court. Callie grit her teeth as her muscles strained to keep up with the blonde. Arizona was fast. Since she had gotten comfortable with the team, her true talent began to show. The Latina really had to work when she guarded her.

The Latina saw that Arizona was a bit relaxed with the ball, so she jumped closer, pressuring the dribble. Callie's pressure forced Arizona to pick up the ball sooner than she would have liked. The Latina's body pressed against hers, hands flying and tugging at Arizona's jersey. After finally managing to pass the ball to a teammate, the blonde jabbed left at Callie's foot. The brunette reacted to Arizona's movement, dropping back a bit. Knowing she caught Callie off guard, Arizona sprinted down the lined area of the lane towards the bucket. She caught the ball on a beautiful pass from her teammate, thinking she had a walk in layup.

As soon as she felt herself take a step back, Callie had turned and sprinted down the other side of the lane. The original plan had been set up so that a wing player would come off a double screen. Using the stationary players as a shield hiding her from Arizona, Callie darted around them, and taking two steps up the lane. Just as the blonde went to release the ball, the Latina propelled herself off her left foot and leapt into the air. Callie's hand connected with the ball in a fierce block that sent it flying across the gym and out of bounds.

The brunette gracefully landed on her feet inches from Arizona. She smirked at the blonde before jogging cockily down the court. Arizona followed, her eyes focusing on the gentle sway of Callie's long ponytail. She groaned once she realized the rest of her team had avoided the difficult task of guarding Callie, leaving that to Arizona. The blonde ran to the corner, where Callie stood. She guarded her closely, fisting a part of the brunette's practice jersey.

"Watch it Arizona," Callie said through her gritted teeth, slapping away Arizona's hand. As the point guard dribbled the ball towards the corner, the Latina ducked into the post. She pressed her back into Arizona, maintaining a low frame with her heels on the edge of the lane. Callie hated guarding and being guarded by the blonde during practice. Even though they were competing, sweaty, and gross, being that close to her was enough to make Callie tense just a little….especially when with the blonde pressing against her body.

As a teammate passed the ball into the post, Callie reached up a hand to snatch it from the air. She took two dribbles, backing down Arizona. She spun around the blonde, looking to cross underneath the basket. Just as Callie was lifting her arm for a reverse layup, Arizona recovered and knocked it away to a teammate. The Latina seethed once she realized what had happened.

Arizona smirked as she jogged down the court. She tilted her head and pinched Callie's butt quickly before anyone could notice. "Got ya," Arizona whispered breathily into Callie's ear, jogging away.

"Robbins!" Coach Christenson called, startling the slender blonde. "Switch with Zoe."

Arizona shrugged before pulling her practice jersey over her head. Callie stared as she smooth skin of Arizona's stomach became visible. She gulped, trying not to cover up her growing arousal. This was not good. At least she switched with Zoe, so now they were on the same team. They weren't going to be in such close proximity.

Callie exhaled, jogging back down the court. Finally able to focus, she nailed a jump shot off a great pass from Arizona. As they continued to play, their on court connection became obvious. They worked well together, each girl knowing the other's moves. They had been playing together for just a couple of weeks, but already had established a strong chemistry. With the two of them on the same team, no one had a chance and they blasted the other team out of the gym.

After practice ended, Callie jumped in the shower, her muscles sore from the first full week of practice. She and Arizona had plans tonight, plans to which Callie had been looking forward all day. They had been together for only a month, but it had honestly been the best month of Callie's life. She always had so much fun when she was with Arizona. They talked and laughed and cuddled and kissed; it was perfect.

"You ready to go?" Callie asked the blonde, pulling on her leather jacket.

"Yeah definitely," Arizona responded, picking up her bag. She couldn't wait to get out of the gym and back to Callie's. Since they had a late practice today, they had opted to just stay over at Callie's since it was pretty close to their school. Lacing her fingers through Callie's, Arizona led them to her car. She had picked the brunette up for school this morning. They drove the few miles to Callie's house, belting out the lyrics to Broadway songs as they went.

Once Arizona parked in Callie's driveway, they exited the car and headed to the house. Throwing her stuff by the door, Arizona collapsed on Callie's comfy couch. Callie came and stood in front of her, glaring affectionately at the body curled up on the couch. "Come on. We're gonna play a little bit."

Arizona pouted. "What if I don't want to?"

"I don't care," Callie said, reaching to pull Arizona off the couch. "I'm going to kick your cute ass again."

"So I have a cute ass?" Arizona asked as she allowed herself to be pulled from the couch. "And why do you want to play anyway? We just had practice."

Callie leaned in and whispered seductively into the blonde's ear, "I thought maybe we could make the game a little more interesting."

Arizona laughed as Callie dragged her to the back of the house, where she had a small, indoor court. "What did you have in mind?"

Callie smirked. "It's a secret." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the key to lock on the ball crate. Callie grabbed a ball out of the crate, dribbling it lazily around the court. She watched as Arizona took off her jacket and tossed it to the side. Callie chuckled as Arizona strutted towards her, tossing her the ball. Arizona caught the ball and nailed a three pointer. Callie cocked her head, "Am I supposed to be impressed?"

Arizona laughed and passed the ball to Callie. She caught it in step and drained a jumper. "Am I?" Arizona asked.

Callie playfully nudged her. "Smartass," she said as she grabbed the ball. She was dribbling when Arizona decided to play defense. Callie started to back her down. Just as she was about to spin around the blonde, Arizona grabbed her and began to kiss her neck.

"Arizona…" Callie whispered.

"Hmm?" Arizona replied, still kissing her.

"Stop it…" She whined.

Arizona started to kiss her again, "Oh you know you loved it. Don't lie." Callie involuntarily let a moan escape her lips. She wrapped her arms around Arizona's neck and drew her face towards her own. Their lips were millimeters apart. They could both feel the other breathing. Just as Callie was going to kiss her, Arizona pulled away. She groaned in frustration, watching the blonde walk to the basketball hoop.

"So," she mused, playing with the net, "what are we playing for?"

Callie grinned mischievously, "Clothes."

Arizona tossed the ball to Callie and laughed, "I can deal with that."

Callie jabbed and drove. She knew Arizona would block her if she went up on the right side, so instead she crossed over and hit a reverse lay-up on the left side. "Strip!" Callie called out, as she made her way back to the three point line. Arizona took off her shirt and tossed it aside. Callie turned around and struggled to maintain her composure. She had seen Arizona without a shirt, she knew how great of a stomach she had. In this moment, however, her senses were completely taken over by the shirtless blonde in front of her. Callie just wanted to run her hands all over Arizona, but she couldn't. She had to win, winning was good.

Arizona smirked at her. She knew Callie was checking her out, but she didn't mind one bit. In fact, Arizona was enjoying watching her squirm. "Come on Callie, just give up. You're too distracted." Callie shook her head at the smaller woman. She knew Arizona was probably right, but she didn't care. She tried to drive by her, but Arizona stole the ball from her hands. One dribble later, she was laying the ball through the hoop. Arizona picked the ball up and strutted over to Callie. "1 – 1," Arizona whispered as she slipped her fingers under Callie's shirt. The brunette allowed Arizona to pull it over her head and throw it over by the blonde's discarded shirt. Callie stood before her in only an athletic bra and basketball shorts. Arizona couldn't help but stare. Callie poked the blonde and she reluctantly walked back to the line.

Callie picked up the basketball and passed it to the other woman. Arizona shot faked and drove. Although she had one step on her, Callie recovered and stole the ball from behind. She quickly laid it in and jogged back to the three point line. Arizona discarded her shoes. She stood barefoot waiting for her to make her move.

Two possessions later, Arizona was sliding her panties down her toned legs. Callie was giggling uncontrollably. Arizona didn't find it amusing. She was naked in the open, and the girl she was dating was laughing at her. This was not funny in any way.

Realizing that Arizona was uncomfortable, Callie walked up to the blonde and put her hands on Arizona's chest. She traced her fingers all over, inching farther down the blonde's stomach. She stopped about an inch below her belly button, causing Arizona to look at her questioningly.

Callie leaned in, kissing Arizona once on the cheek and once tenderly on the lips. She allowed her fingers to graze over her bare skin and whispered directly in her ear, "I won."


	8. Give 'Em Hell

A/N: Here you go everyone. I hope this meets your expectations. :)

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

Callie sat in English, a little on edge. Today was her signing ceremony, and Callie was more than just a little nervous. The home opener was tonight against rival, Tesla High School, and as a prequel, the brunette would be signing her letter of intent to play for Maryland in combination with a pep rally of sorts. The brunette was expected to smile and talk and be excited. She was excited, but talking in front of other people made her nauseas.

Callie smiled as she felt a gentle squeeze on her knee. She looked to her right, eyes locking with Arizona's. A slow smile spread across the blonde's lips, as her thumb caressed Callie's knee. . The Latina brought a hand to rest on top of Arizona's. Lacing their fingers together, the brunette subtly adjusted her body, so that she leaned against her girlfriend. "Thank you," Callie whispered into Arizona's ear. Arizona merely squeezed the brunette's hand in response before pulling away and returning her eyes to the teacher at the front of the room.

Arizona wished she didn't have to pull away from her beautiful girlfriend. Unfortunately, however, they were in class. Neither one of them hid the fact that they were together, they just weren't that big on PDA. Plus, whenever the Latina touched her, Arizona couldn't think straight, and they had an exam in a few days, so concentration was necessary. It was a moot point, though…this whole attempting to concentrate thing. Arizona knew the brunette was freaking out about the pep rally after this class, and that knowledge made the blonde worry as well. She had great news to tell the Latina that would hopefully cheer her up, but she didn't want to steal Callie's thunder, or worse make her more nervous than she already was.

Arizona had been out of town this past weekend. She had told Callie that she was going to a family reunion, but really she made an official visit to Maryland. The visit had almost been surreal. Of course Brenda Freese had been paying attention to where Arizona was at high school this season, so she had expected to be asked about Callie. In actuality, however, Arizona spent a good two hours talking about the brunette with a couple of the players. She all but hinted they were together, but the team was more than ok with that. They absolutely adored the Latina and couldn't wait for her to join the team next season. Apparently they regularly talked to Callie; something that definitely surprised Arizona. The brunette had never mentioned how close she was to the team. Realizing that, made Arizona's heart swell. Callie could have babbled on and on about how great Maryland was, and how cool the team was, but instead she kept it to herself, so Arizona could make the decision on her own.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. The room began to clear out as Arizona began to pack up her stuff. She moved to grab her bag, but she froze when a hand rested on her arm. The blonde turned to find her girlfriend looking at her with pleading eyes. Arizona melted. She placed a hand on the Latina's knee. "What's wrong, Calliope?"

Callie furrowed her brow as she reached out for Arizona's hand. "I'm nervous."

"Hey," Arizona said softly. "You're going to be great. There's no need to be nervous." Callie merely shrugged in response. Arizona gently placed a hand under the brunette's chin, tilting her head so the blonde could see Callie's eyes. "I'll tell you what," Arizona continued, "we'll go to the pep rally, kick some serious booty in the game, and then we'll spend the night in. No parties, no booze, just us. We'll relax on your couch and eat," Arizona hesitated, trying to come up with a food. She shrugged perkily before saying the first thing that came to mind, "sandwiches. Yeah we'll eat sandwiches."

"Psh," Callie snorted. "You don't even like sandwiches."

"But I like the girl who has the sandwiches," Arizona replied honestly, a cheeky smile spreading across her lips. "Ok?"

"Ok," Callie said, finally relaxing. Then, she shook her head. "No, I don't like sandwiches either. I like pizza."

"I like pizza too," Arizona said reassuringly, still clasping Callie's hand in her own. "Come on," urged the blonde, pulling on the other girl's hand. "We should head down there."

Callie followed her blonde girlfriend out the door. With a gentle squeeze of her hand, the Latina conveyed her gratitude towards Arizona as they walked down the hall. Entering the gym, they were surrounded by the entire student population and loud pep band music. The team stood behind the podium at the center of the gym. After spotting them, Callie and Arizona rushed over to join their teammates. Callie took a deep breath as Coach Christenson approached the podium.

"Today is a very special day," the brown haired coach announced. "We're here to celebrate an individual accomplishment as well as motivate an entire community. I remember watching Callie Torres learn to dribble. It wasn't pretty," The coach quipped, enticing chuckles from the student body. "But she worked hard, and today she is, in my opinion, the best ball-handling and most versatile forward in the country. For three years, I have watched her grow both as a player and as a person, and I am very proud to stand here beside her as she signs her letter of intent to the University of Maryland. Edison High has never had a brighter star. Callie?"

Arizona pushed the brunette towards the podium as Coach Christenson motioned for Callie to join her. The Latina put on a smile, trying to keep her nerves in check. She sat down at the table set up next to the podium, grabbing the pen next to the sheet of paper. Her forced smile faded into a genuine one, as she put the pen to the paper, signing the document. The gym erupted into cheers as Callie stood up and put on a Maryland t-shirt.

Coach Christenson smiled proudly at his star player before turning, once again to the crowd. She held up her hands, silencing them. "Now, tonight, is our home opener against our wretched rivals, Tesla High School. THS has been trash talking since the beginning of the season, saying that they're going to shut down Torres. They've said that we're overrated! I think they're just jealous because we're number 1 in the state and number 5 in the country!" Christenson shouted, inciting more cheers and stomps from the crowd. "What they don't know is that we picked up one of the best point guards in the country! So let them talk because tonight when we play, we'll see who's the best in DC. See you at 8."

With that, the gym, once again, erupted with noise. The buzzing of the snares rushed over Callie as the pep band started another song. She looked over at Arizona who was smiling goofily. Stealthily, Callie caressed the blonde's hand with her fingers, silently thanking her just for standing with the Latina. They waved at the crowd and bobbed their heads to the music. The Latina swung their arms back and forth, trying to dispel some of her pent up energy. She was getting excited. That always meant terrible things for the opposition.

The pep rally died down within a few minutes and school was officially over. For the rest of the afternoon, the Edison High basketball team prepared for the upcoming game. On game days, they mostly spent time with each other as a team. The afternoon was filled with a shoot-around, film study, dinner, and their typical pregame discussion.

By the time the sun set, Callie was itching to play. It was her last home opener as an Edison High basketball player. There was a definite air of finality in the atmosphere as Callie grabbed a basketball from the rack. Pounding the ball on the hardwood, the brunette breezed through her pregame routine. She zigzagged up and down the court, alternating between cross-overs, between the legs, and behind the back moves. She pulled up in a series of quick jump-shots, the ball swishing through the net on each shot. This was comfort; this was routine. This was her sanctuary.

Callie stopped shooting once people started to file into the gym to watch the Junior Varsity game. There was only an hour and a half until game time, and the Latina could feel the energy coursing through her body. She shook out her limbs, effectively loosening up her muscles in an effort to relax a little bit. As the JV warm-up music began, Arizona exited the locker room, so she could join Callie and the rest of the varsity team on the bleachers.

Watching the JV game was torture for Callie. Sure, their team was good, but by the time the JV game started, the Latina always itched to get out on the court. Arizona grabbed Callie's hand as they watched their junior varsity team blow out Tesla. Even for JV, this was a big rivalry¸ so a big win was much appreciated by the observing varsity squad because it put a chink in the visiting team's armor.

As the fourth quarter started, Callie was thankful for being able to retreat into the locker room. She sat in her corner, lacing up her shoes. She slipped on the maroon and white pinstripe pants over her uniform shorts, allowing them to rest low on her hips. She smiled at Arizona, who sat across from her. The blonde walked over quickly and dropped a kiss on Callie's cheek. "Give 'em hell, Calliope," Arizona said softly, a mischievous smile spreading across her lips.

Callie's eyes sparkled with excitement as her brown orbs locked with Arizona's blue ones. She tilted her head, so she could capture Arizona's lips in a sweet, lingering kiss. "Mmmm," Callie murmured against Arizona's lips, "You know I'll give them hell, but just pick them apart Arizona." The Latina's eyes darkened, adrenaline blazing over the normally warm pools. "I really just want to rip these girls apart. Who trash talks against Edison really?"

Arizona chuckled as she reached out her hand. "Come on, let's go listen to Coach. Then, we can rip them apart."

Callie hardly focused on what Coach Christenson said, but she knew her job. She could hear the music start, and her legs began to bounce anxiously. The team crowded around the door, getting ready to take the court. Upon opening the door and hearing the roar of the crowd, Callie felt a rush of excitement wash over her. The nerves were gone and all she could to do was focus on the task at hand. Warm-ups went well for the brunette; she felt good, comfortable, with the ball. There were nights that this had not been the case, and it showed in the game, so it was definitely comforting that the brunette felt good about the situation.

The referee approached the center circle with the ball. Tossing it in the air, it was soon tapped to Arizona, and the game officially began. The blonde dribbled the ball up the court, crossing the half-court line within a couple of steps. Callie drifted into the corner, awaiting a pass. The defense had set up in a two-three zone, in an effort to force Edison to shoot from the outside. Upon seeing this, Callie knew there would probably be a trap, once she caught the ball in the corner. She reached up to grab a sailing pass from Arizona, and sure enough, two Tesla players came running at her. Because she had been expecting it, however, the brunette spun around the top defender and took one dribble along the three-point arch. She saw Arizona streaking to the basket, out of the corner of her eye. Callie pushed the ball with her back hand in a tight bounce pass, giving the blonde an easy lay-up and Edison the early lead.

The rest of the game followed along such a pattern. Edison was well prepared, and Callie and Arizona were firing on all cylinders. They steadily picked apart the Tesla defense while terrorizing them on offense. The crowd roared throughout the entire game, chanting as it came to a close, "Load up the bus! Load up the bus!" Callie couldn't help but smile as she and Arizona received a standing ovation upon exiting the game with five minutes to play. It was a great night; one that Callie was certain would only get better.

Once the buzzer sounded, the girls made their way to the locker room. After taking quick showers, they made their way back out to the gym to be greeted by the remaining fans. Arizona rushed into her parents' arms, her father embracing her in a warm bear hug. Callie scanned the crowd for her parents, but knew they wouldn't be there. She smiled anyway at the sight of Mark and Addison approaching her with a massive sign that had Go Torres #22 written on it. Mark wrapped his strong arms around Callie's waist, picking her up in a hug. "You did great, Cal!" Mark exclaimed as he hugged his friend. "That reverse lay-up you hit in the second quarter was epic."

Callie laughed into Mark's neck. "Thank you. Now please put me down."

Mark put his friend back down on the ground. "So, we gonna celebrate tonight? I heard there's a big party at Izzy's. It could be fun just to go down there and mess the place up…what do you say?"

Callie turned, looking towards Arizona. She was still standing with her mother and father. Her eyes, though, beckoned Callie over to join them. Smiling, she returned her attention to Mark and Addison. "Actually I already have plans."

"I bet you do," Addison mumbled.

"I'll see you guys later," Callie said, as she walked over towards Arizona, who was _still _talking to her parents. She and Arizona typically spent time at the Torres home, so Callie had successfully avoided meeting the Colonel. Apparently, however, her luck was about to run out.

"Callie!" Arizona squealed, running to the brunette. "I want you to meet my parents," Arizona announced, looping her arm thorough Callie's and pulling her towards the two adults. "This," Arizona stated, gesturing towards her parents, "is my mother and father, Colonel and Mrs. Robbins."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Callie said, holding out her hand.

"Nice to meet you as well, Callie." The colonel replied. "Arizona tells us that you're going to be spending time at your house tonight."

"Yes, Sir."

"Ok, well have fun tonight girls. Arizona, I expect you home no later than one."

Arizona beamed, surprised by her father's generosity. "Yes, Sir."

The two girls waved goodbye and walked arm in arm out to Callie's car. Arizona had taken to riding with Callie to school in the morning, so this was common place for them. Both on highs from the game, they shouted out the lyrics to many a bad rap song. They arrived at Callie's within a few minutes, and once they were inside, they just collapsed on the couch. Callie whipped at her phone to order pizza from the cute place down the road.

Callie put her arm around Arizona, tugging her close. "You played a great game today."

"Yeah?" Arizona asked snuggling into Callie's body.

Callie kissed the top of Arizona's head. "Definitely." Callie sat up on the couch. "So, you gonna tell me what's on your mind?"

"What are you talking about?" Arizona asked nervously.

Callie arched an eyebrow. "Give me some credit, Arizona. I know when you've got stuff on your mind. And…I'm almost positive it has to do with a certain family reunion you went to last weekend."

Arizona blushed. They never really discussed Arizona's recruiting status, but Callie wasn't dumb. They had been playing together for about a month, and most days the Latina would always comment on Arizona's skill. It wasn't anything profound, she would just comment on the little things. Her comments, however, always let the blonde know that her girlfriend paid attention to the little things; that she cared. So though they had never talked about, Callie had hinted that she knew she was looking at schools. She never pressured Arizona, however. Not once did Callie try to force Arizona to divulge information that wasn't given freely by the blonde, and that included non basketball subjects as well. This was really the first time Callie pushed her. "Well I was at Maryland over the weekend."

"And?" Callie asked, totally beaming.

"I committed to Maryland."


	9. Just Us

A/N: I totally meant to have this up last night, but unfortunately my comp is like dying and I only have half a screen. Hopefully it'll all get worked out, but we'll see. Anyway...here's the latest chapter. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

7:00am

Callie woke up early as was customary for her before a big game. She sighed as she made her way downstairs. This was the last time she would ever do this as an Edison High basketball player. Today was the championship game, and thus her last game whether they won or lost. In some ways the Latina was more than ready to close that chapter of her life. So many things awaited on the horizon, and she couldn't wait to experience them. On the other hand, however, the future was terrifying. There was the uncertainty of how she would perform at Maryland, whether or not she would meet expectations, and how she and Arizona would fare in such a different environment. Their time together thus far had been amazing. Callie knew how lucky she was to have found the blonde, both on a personal level as well as an athletic one. There was no doubt in her mind that without Arizona, Edison would not be playing for the title today.

With Arizona committing to Maryland, it had lifted a lot of the pressure from their relationship. They had a chance for a future, and they planned to take it. The two young women weren't kidding themselves; there were no discussions of children and marriage, but knowing they wouldn't be attending different schools removed the sense of foreboding that had begun to cloud their relationship.

The brunette turned as she heard footsteps enter the room. It was her father. Looking away quickly, Callie refocused her attention on the bowl of cereal on the counter. She and her father still barely spoke. He found out about Arizona a little over a month ago, but refuses to acknowledge her existence. He forbade her from the house, but Callie goes to her house all the time, so he wasn't able to end their relationship. He tried to ban his daughter from the basketball team, but the brunette knew he would never be able to follow through with that threat. Carlos Torres held such pride in his family, and part of that was his eldest daughter's success on the basketball court.

Carlos joined his daughter at the counter. "Good morning, mija. What are you doing up so early on a Saturday?"

The brunette looked up from her bowl. This was surprising. She really hadn't spoken to her father in months. Now he was saying good morning?" I can't ever sleep before a big game," Callie replied, slightly perturbed he even had to ask the question. "It's just a thing I guess.

Carlos nodded. "Right, today is the championship."

Callie wondered if her father would actually attend this game. He used to be in the stands, yelling and cheering for every single game, but ever since he found out about Erica, he came less and less frequently. This year, she could only remember seeing him at one game. It was a little over a month ago, and her mother Camille, forced him to go. Arizona ended up hitting the game winning shot, so of course there was celebration. Arizona jumped into Callie's arms for a long hug. The brunette's father did not take kindly to that, and after the game was when all the drama started. Still, Callie was hopeful he would come. It was only 30 minutes away so she didn't think it would be that big of a deal. "Papa, are you coming today?."

Carlos thought deeply as he sipped on a glass of orange juice. "Calliope, I'll do my best," the graying man replied. He set his cup down on the counter. "But I want to discuss something else before you leave for the day."

"You do?" The brunette asked, completely taken aback by her father's behavior.

Carlos nodded as he fidgeted with his ring. "I want you to talk to Father Kevin with me."

Callie nearly dropped her spoon. "You want to what?"

The Latina couldn't help but glare at her father as she heard a knock on their front door. Carlos rushed to open it. In, stepped a taller man with balding grey hair. "Ah, Father Kevin," he said happily, "thank you so much for coming."

The brunette eyed her father and his guest angrily. She had known Father Kevin since she was a child; she had grown up in church. His appearance, however, was unexpected to say the least. "What's going on?" Callie asked nervously.

"Calliope," Father Kevin greeted her warmly, "good morning. Why don't we take a seat?"

Callie followed her father and priest into Carlos' study adjacent to the kitchen. She sat in one of the comfortable leather lounge chairs, squirming uncomfortably. Her father sat across from her with Father Kevin completing their triangular arrangement. Callie's father turned toward her, sadness and frustration evident in his eyes. "Calliope, I don't know what's going on with you," Carlos said before pausing to collect his thoughts. "I'm scared for you. It's an abomination. It's an eternity in Hell."

The brunette shook her head in disbelief as Father Kevin interrupted. "Let's not start with words like Hell."

"This is why you're talking to me for the first time in months? To tell me I'm going to Hell?" Callie asked incredulously. "I thought you were actually going to apologize."

"I can't apologize, Calliope!" Carlos fired back. "I don't understand what happened, or where I went wrong."

"Where you went wrong?" Callie nearly shouted as she reiterated the ridiculous statement, purposely drawing out the words.

"Ok," Carlos said exasperatingly, pulling a short stack of note cards from his pocket. "Leviticus: thou shalt not lie with man as one lies with a female, it is an abomination."

"Oh don't do that Daddy," Callie pleaded over his words. "Don't quote the Bible at me."

"The outcry of Sodom and Gomorra is great, and their sin is exceedingly grave," Carlos continued, ignoring his daughter's protests.

"Carlos," Father Kevin interrupted, "this is not what we…"

"Jesus," Callie said, cutting off Father Kevin, "a new commandment that I give unto you, that you love one another."

"Romans," Carlos ping-ponged, "but we know that the law is…"

"Jesus," the brunette returned, her voice getting louder, "he who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.

"So you admit it is a sin?" Carlos questioned.

Ignoring her father, Callie began to rise from her chair. "Blessed are the merciful for they receive mercy, Jesus. Blessed are the pure at heart for they shall see God, Jesus. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness sake, " the brunette said, her voice shaking and tears clouding her eyes, "for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is my savior, Daddy, not you. And he would be ashamed of you for judging me; he would be ashamed of you for turning your back on me; he would be ashamed." Allowing her emotions to overcome her, Callie stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She bolted for her car, eager to get the hell away from her house.

* * *

6:00pm

Music thumped through the gym as the players warmed up before the game. Callie pounded the ball into the ground, loosening up her muscles before the game. She went through her customary zigzag ball-handling drills. The Latina capped her routine with a few sprints. She always loved to get a little sweat going before the game. Jogging back to the end line, the brunette locked eyes with Arizona, who was looking a bit nervous. The blonde had begun her stretching routine, but was definitely chewing on her bottom lip, something Callie had discovered was a nervous tick of her girlfriends.

Callie bent over next to the blonde, joining her in stretches. She stealthily caressed Arizona's calf in an effort to loosen her up, earning a glare from the blue eyed beauty. Normally they would flirt before games to get the each other riled up and ready to play, but apparently tonight was not the night to do that. The Latina stood and patted Arizona on the back, signaling for the blonde to stand as well. The brunette grabbed a fistful of Arizona's jersey near the waistband of her shorts, and pulled her close. "You ready?" She whispered.

Arizona nodded. "Yeah. You think we can take them?"

Callie smirked. "Arizona, you know just as well as I do that if we play well, we're going to kick some serious ass tonight. Look," Callie continued, stepping even closer, "there's no need to be nervous. We're just playing ball. I'm already signed and you sign next week, so there's no pressure of scouts. It's just us, ok?"

"Yeah," Arizona agreed. "Just us."

Callie pulled away , squeezing her girlfriend's hand before she jogged over to the bench. It was the moment she had been waiting for. The National Anthem floated through the air. This was her last game as a high school player. Win or lose this was her last game, and she planned to leave it on the floor. Upon hearing her name announced, the brunette ran onto the floor. She high-fived her teammates, giving Arizona a special look. Right before tipoff, Callie scanned the stands, looking for her father. Her eyes, however, found nothing. The space next to her mother was vacant. Callie clenched her fists in anger as she waited for the ball to be tipped. As soon as the ball landed in her hands, however, her anger vanished. All she concentrated on was the moment, and in this moment winning was everything.

* * *

7:30pm

Entering the fourth quarter, the score was tied. Throughout the last period, the two teams traded baskets, neither of them able to take a commanding lead. With one minute left, Arizona dribbled the ball up the court. They passed the ball around the arch to burn some time off the clock. At fifteen seconds, Arizona reclaimed possession and motioned to start the play. The other team, however, rushed her with two players, both of whom were taller than the averaged size blonde. Arizona managed to spin out of the trap, dribbling hard to the basket. The other team's center, and tallest player, came to defend her. Out of the corner of her eye, Arizona saw Callie cutting to the basket, her defender trailing. The blonde deftly dropped a bounce pass to the streaking brunette who pulled up and shot it. Everyone held their breath as the ball sailed towards the basket. With one second left, it dropped through the net.

The crowd went nuts. Screams and cheers filled the room. Not having any timeouts, by the time the other team secured the ball, time had run out. The Edison team ran onto the floor jumping and screaming. They all tackled Callie and collapsed into a heap of giggles. Callie stood up from the pile, a shameless smile decorating her features. She had finally done it. For the last couple of years of her high school career at Edison, her main critique had been her lack of a championship. While she knew she was one of the focuses of the team, the brunette also recognized that she wouldn't be standing in the center of the court as confetti rained from the ceiling if it wasn't for a certain blonde, blue eyed girl.

The tournament officials ushered the girls to center court where they gave them all their state championship medals. The girls squealed as the trophy was given to Coach Christenson. Upon receiving the MVP trophy, tears pricked the corners of Callie's brown eyes. She looked to Arizona, who was also tearing up. After standing in front of the crowd for a few minutes, the girls went to the locker room to change. Callie leaned against one of the lockers fingering her trophy while Arizona pulled off her jersey. "Hey," Callie said suddenly.

"Yeah?" Arizona asked, turning around in just her sports bra and shorts.

Callie thrust the trophy towards the blonde. "I, uh, want you to have this."

"Calliope, I can't," came Arizona's automatic response.

"No, you can," Callie replied. "Without you, this team wouldn't have made it this far. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to achieve the stats I did to even deserve the award. Without you, Arizona, I wouldn't even know what is means to love a person. So yeah, this is yours."

Tears welled in Arizona's eyes. "I love you too, Calliope," She answered as she leaned in for a sweet kiss.

Stealing glances at one another, they finished changing quickly. Callie and Arizona came out of the locker room welcomed by a thunderous applause. They smiled at everyone and made their way towards their families and friends. Callie immediately hugged Mark and Addison who never failed to show up at every game. Next, Callie found her family. She embraced her mother and sister, noticing that her father wasn't there. She turned, however, at the sound of her name.

"Calliope."

There was her father holding a bouquet of flowers. She rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Daddy, you came!"

Carlos leaned down and kissed his daughter on the top of her head. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world, mija. Of course I came."

Callie relaxed into her father's embrace, content in the moment. She had just won a championship, had a wonderful girlfriend, her father was beginning to come around, and she had her immediate future sorted out by attending Maryland. Her perfect world, however, came crashing down with the sound of a heart wrenching wail. Instantly, Callie turned to find her girlfriend sobbing in the Colonel's arms. She felt as if she was going to throw up. Without a second thought, the Latina rushed to her screaming girlfriend. "Arizona, what happened?" Callie pleaded, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl, trying her best to comfort her.

Arizona simply collapsed into Callie's strong arms. "Danny's dead."


	10. Without You

A/N: I know...this was supposed to be up a couple of days ago, but unfortunately life got in the way. Also...it's shorter than usual, and I'm sorry for that, but I really wanted to update. Plus...I'm without my laptop, so I don't have the original mer/der version to help with edits and things...so I didn't want to make you guys wait even longer, just so I could boost my word count. Anyway...thank you to Sarah for reading, and to V and Ang for keeping me sane this morning.

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

Chapter 10: Without You

Arizona drove down the hill to Bethany, West Virginia. Virginian mountains raised high above her as her car continued down the paved path. She passed the main athletic facility on the right and Campbell Village, the new apartment style dorms on the left. The Greek houses rose in the background, sitting atop the hill behind Campbell. The area was surrounded by trees. Bethany was thirty minutes from civilization a.k.a. Wheeling. The town consisted of around 100 people. The college was in town and was comprised of a little less than 1000 students. There was no separation of the two populations. Faculty homes were right next to frat houses, and the children played in the streets and were kept awake by the never ending parties on the lawns of the college students.

It was completely different from Washington D.C., but that's what Arizona needed. After her brother's death, she left. Her father was transferred, and she called Maryland and told them she couldn't come because of personal reasons. Maryland couldn't do anything because she had only given them a verbal commitment and wasn't supposed to sign her letter of intent until two weeks after the championship game during the spring signing period.

Leaving had been unbearably difficult. She had left behind everyone when she turned her back on D.C. The only person who knew exactly where she was living was Teddy. She pretty much fell off the face of the earth as far as everyone else was concerned; everyone except Callie. She had seen the brunette the morning she drove away with her family. The blonde felt guilty about leaving that morning, about leaving her girlfriend. She didn't want to leave her, but she had to. Finding out about Danny's death was the worst day of her life. A part of herself died on that court, and for the next few days she stumbled through her life, unable to truly see through the fog that had settled in her mind.

Arizona knew that if she could have, she would have stayed in D.C., but she needed to deal with her brother's death. That was something she knew she needed to do alone, without Callie. Coming to Bethany was the first step in that direction. Her brother graduated from the school three years prior, and he had absolutely loved it. In Arizona's mind it was the perfect place, not only to start over, but to connect to and honor her brother.

Coming around the bend, Arizona turned left to head up the hill towards Phillips Hall, a freshmen women's dorm. She parked the car out front, maneuvering between new college students and their blubbering parents. Arizona entered her dorm, her big duffle situated over her shoulder and pulling her suitcase behind her. Her room assignment was 113. She hauled her bags down the hall and threw it through the door. She was perplexed to find her roommate's stuff already in the room, but not her roommate. Arizona shrugged and went back out to her car to get the rest of her stuff. A half hour later, she at least had all her stuff in the same room. She moved her car to a student parking lot, so by the time she returned, her roommate was in the room.

She was a little sulky, and didn't seem to talkative, which Arizona didn't mind at all. "Hey I think I'm your roommate," the blonde said cautiously. "I'm Arizona Robbins."

The other woman looked up from the suitcase she was unpacking. "I'm Meredith Grey."

Arizona looked to her own things piled on her bed. She unzipped the large suitcase, and began to unpack the clothes. "So where are you from?" she asked Meredith as she folded an old sweatshirt.

"Um, Boston," Meredith answered while hanging up a sweater in her closet, her full height revealing that she was a couple of inches taller than Arizona. "You?"

"Kind of everywhere," Arizona replied, pausing before adding, "My dad is a colonel in the marine corps. We've moved a lot."

Meredith nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry, that must have sucked."

The blonde shrugged. "It wasn't bad," she answered honestly. "Besides," she added, a sad smile spreading across her lips., "I really liked the last place I lived."

The taller woman collapsed on her bed, looking over at Arizona as she threw an arm over her head. "Where was that?"

"D.C.," Arizona replied quickly. "I only lived there for a few months though."

"So you play any sports or anything?" Meredith asked, awkwardly trying to continue their conversation. "I plan on swimming while I'm here."

"I used to play basketball," Arizona said, frowning. She continued unpacking her things, pulling out a picture of she and Danny as kids. Their mother had taken it in their backyard when they lived in Texas. The younger version of herself sat atop her brother's shoulders as they ran through the grass. That was before they were robbed of their innocence. Before he joined the marines, before he shipped out, before her life changed forever, before he died.

Arizona's thoughts turned to the night before she left. She remembered it vividly; like it happened yesterday. In a way, she wished it would have never ended, that she never had to leave the Latina's arms. Arizona sighed as she closed her eyes; her mind filled with dreams of that night.

* * *

Callie climbed the stairs to the second floor of her dorm. Thankfully the room was near the stairs, so she wouldn't kill herself, carrying all of her stuff down a massive hallway in addition to the four flights of stairs. She opened the door to her room and was surprised to see her roommate already there. She sat on the bed, frowning, and leafing through a book. It was thick and looked to be something about chemistry. Callie could tell it was going to be an interesting year.

The Latina dropped her stuff on the other bed before walking over the other person in the room. She stuck out her hand saying, "Hi, I'm Callie Torres."

"Cristina Yang," She replied, not looking up from her book. "I'm here for tennis. I've heard they put athletes together, so what are you here for? "

"Oh um basketball," Callie said, spacing out a little bit.

Cristina hopped off her bed, grabbed a sweat shirt and was getting ready to leave. "I have a tennis meeting, but I'll be back later."

"Ok," Callie responed. "I'll be here; I need to unpack anyway and I think my mom is going to take me to lunch." Cristina nodded as she pulled the door closed behind her. The Latina began to unpack her clothes, waiting for her mother to show up with the rest of her stuff. Of course, her father had skipped this milestone in Callie's life. Even though he had showed up at the championship game with flowers, things were still strained between them.

The brunette looked over her shoulder as her mother entered the room with another bag. She set down next to her daughter before straightening out her clothing. Callie looked to her mother, confused. "Mom, where is the rest of my stuff? I thought there was more than that."

"Oh just wait, mija," The older Torres woman replied, waving her hand. "I got us some help."

Callie's jaw dropped as six chiseled men, clearly college guys, waltzed into her room with the remainder of her things. They sat down her stuff in a relatively neat pile near Callie's bed before leaving just as quickly as they came. The brunette turned to her mother. "How did you do that?"

Nina looked at her daughter with a bemused look on her face. "A Torres woman never reveals her secrets, Calliope."

Callie laughed and joined her mother in the doorway. "You ready for lunch?"

"Definitely. I'm told there's some decent food around here."

The two women enjoyed their lunch together. It was nice they were able to share it before basketball officially claimed Callie's life. She had been around campus since summer for summer workouts and a summer class. She hadn't officially moved in, though, until today. She was both excited, and a little sad. She was supposed to be sharing this moment with Arizona, but the blonde had disappeared of the face of the planet. Teddy knew where she was, but she wouldn't tell the brunette. Callie had tried multiple times, but to no avail. The only thing Callie knew was that she was with her family, somewhere her father had been transferred.

Callie was forced to leave her thoughts by her mother giving her a hug goodbye. It was then that she realized she hadn't been paying attention for a solid half hour. "Bye Mama," she whispered into her mother's shoulder.

"She'll call you, mija," Nina responded. "She'd be a fool not to."

"Thanks Mama. Be safe," Callie said as her mother retreated from her dorm room. She surveyed the pile of things she needed to unpack. Sighing at the number of things she needed to do before tonight, Callie was grateful her roommate was still out. The Latina dug through her things, pulling out her iPod speakers. She plugged them into the outlet behind her desk, and placed them on the wooden surface. Before long, the familiar notes of Meredith Brooks filled the room.

As Callie began to unpack, however, she couldn't help but think about Arizona. The blonde left her. She knew that Arizona was going through a rough time and needed space, but it was killing Callie. She kept reliving that night. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could sense was Arizona. Callie could still smell her, see her, taste her, but she couldn't feel the blonde anymore. It had been six months. Six long months she had been without her, and it was eating her alive. Callie's heart broke into one more piece each day she was without her. Her body was becoming cold. All she needed was to hold her; to find her, but she had no idea where to look.


	11. Mischief Managed

A/N: Ok...so I finally managed to write this. I'm sooooo sorry it took so long. I've mentioned computer problems , but yeah...I'm sorry. Thank you to everyone who is still reading and sticking with this story. And a special thank you to my boo, who beta-ed for me at such short notice.

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

Callie's body ached from practice today. Coach Friese hounded them all afternoon, and it seemed like all she did was run. Midnight Madness was a couple of weeks ago, and Callie was definitely feeling the strain of the last couple weeks of practice. Every year in mid-October, the large universities around the country held midnight "practices" to open the season. These events were more entertainment for the fans, but Callie had a lot of fun. She participated in the 3-point shooting contest, as well as showing off her dribbling skills with the other freshmen. They also participated in a skills based relay race against the boys, and actually beat them, which surprised a few people. It had been a fun night, but soon after, they were all met with the harsh reality of division I basketball.

They had been working out together all fall, but that was just pick-up games and lifting. It was driven by the players, as per NCAA rules coaches cannot officially sanction such things. Even so, Callie had her foot on the gas ever since she stepped onto Maryland's campus. Though she'd only been there a couple of months, the Latina knew she made the right decision. She felt challenged for the first time in her life. Between juggling basketball and her classes, Callie barely had time to breathe. She had been busy enough to almost forget her heartache over a certain blonde.

Almost.

Now early November, it had been nearly nine months to the day since the last time she had spoken to Arizona. Callie was at a loss; she had no idea what to do. Part of her wanted to find the blonde, just so she could scream at her, but the stronger part of the Latina wanted Arizona back in her arms where she belonged. Callie knew she was only eighteen, that there were plenty of other people; hell, she'd been hit on by her fair share of men and women since arriving on campus. It just didn't compare.

One night over the summer, she'd been drinking with a couple of the basketball girls at a party. This girl from the hockey team was all over her that night. In her drunken state, Callie let things get a little out of hand, but even being pushed up against a wall with a gorgeous woman grinding all over her, the Latina couldn't help but think that Renee's – or whatever her name was – hair didn't smell nearly as good as Arizona's. Callie swore off drinking after that, much to her roommate chagrin.

Living with Cristina was interesting to say the least. The Korean woman was from California, Beverly Hills to be exact, so that gave her some pretty excellent stories. They didn't have much in common besides ambition, and sports, but they made it work. One night, when Callie was feeling particularly awful, Cristina put on some terrible rap music. She pulled a sulking Callie off her bed, forcing her into the middle of the room. Before the Latina knew what was happening, she and Cristina were jumping around and dancing terribly to some old rap song.

"Dance it out!" Cristina yelled at her. Callie followed her roommate's instructions, and though she would never admit it to the surly tennis player, the Latina was grateful.

Callie smiled at the memory of that night with Cristina as she left the athletic facility. Walking across campus, she checked her phone. She told herself it was to see the time, but the brunette still held out hope that Arizona would contact her. Callie really just didn't understand. In times of crisis, she would have leaned on Arizona for support, not run away from her. The blonde leaving the way she did hurt more than Callie was willing to admit. Even if Arizona did call her, at this point, after nine months of silence, the Latina had no idea how she would respond, or if she would at all.

The brunette swiped her card, unlocking the door to her building. She climbed the flight of stairs to her floor, before opening the door to her room. Cristina was lounging on her bed with her nose in a chemistry book. Callie supposed that was one other thing they had in common, their love for science.

"Hey Cristina," the brunette said, tossing her bag by her desk. Cristina grunted in response. "You know," Callie said, "a hi wouldn't hurt you too badly."

Cristina set moved her book out of the way, so she could look at her roommate. She plastered a shit-eating grin on her face, opening her eyes wide. "Hi!" She nearly shouted.

"OK, that was scary."

The other woman shook her head, in an attempt to wipe the fake happiness from her face. "Ugh," she said, "I'm never doing that again. Perkiness is for weird people. I am not perky. People like us, Torres, we don't do perky."

Callie smiled lamely. She wanted to agree with Cristina, but Arizona's perkiness was one of the things the brunette loved most about her. She was always smiling and laughing. That attitude seemed to keep the Latina in a perpetually good mood when they were together. "Yeah," she agreed, turning away from her roommate towards her desk, "you're right."

"Are you going to be all sad again?" Cristina asked, noticing the forlorn look on the Latina's face. "Because I really don't think I can take much more of it. Last week you cried into your cereal at breakfast. People were looking at me like I'm some kind of freak."

Callie rolled her eyes. "And it's all about you right?"

"Right," Cristina replied, nodding her head emphatically. "What's her name anyway? You never did tell me."

"Arizona," Callie said quietly. After a few moments, she stood from her desk. "I'm going to go find some food. Care to join? I promise not to cry into my salad or anything."

Cristina shook her head, a sparkle of mischief dancing in her eyes. "You go on, I need to make a phone call."

"OK, I'll be back in about an hour or so," Callie said before exiting the room.

Once Cristina saw the door close, she reached for her phone that was lying next to her body. She quickly scanned her contacts, looking for her friend's number. Finding it, she punched the call button and waited for the other person to pick up.

"Hello?" A voiced asked on the other end of the line.

"Meredith?"

"Cristina! Hey!" the other woman exclaimed. "What's up? I haven't heard from you in a while."

"I'm having a crisis," Cristina blurted.

"Really?" Meredith asked, her voice filled with concern. "What's going on?"

"What's your roommate's name?"

"Arizona," Meredith responded. "Why?"

"You said she was all mopey all the time right?" Cristina inquired, pushing for more information.

On the other line, Meredith nodded. Arizona hadn't really opened up to her much, but she knew that she had recently gone through a breakup. She also confessed that her brother had died recently over in Iraq after Meredith woke her up from a screaming nightmare. "Yeah, she's pretty depressed. It breaks my heart. Like I'm messed up, dark and twisty, you know this, but she's all bright and shiny on the inside, at least I think she is, so she doesn't wear this depression thing well at all."

"Do you know the name of the person she was dating?"

Meredith paused, trying to think if Arizona mentioned anything. Thankfully, her roommate was gone getting dinner at the moment because Meredith wasn't even trying to hide the fact she was talking about her. "I don't know, Arizona never really mentioned anyone. I know that she lived in D.C. before moving to a base in Ohio, and sometimes she'll mumble Calliope in her sleep. When I woke her up from a nightmare last month, she called me Calliope, whatever that means."

Realization dawned on Cristina. Once Callie told her the name of the girl for whom she was pining, Cristina thought that _maybe _ she was Meredith's roommate, but she wasn't too sure about it. Meredith said Arizona called out for a Calliope. Cristina remembered on move-in day, when Callie pulled off the door label with her name on it. She replaced it with a piece of notebook paper that said Callie Torres. The original one, as Cristina discovered a few moments after was labeled Calliope. "Oh my God, Meredith!"

"What?"

"Our roommates are in love with each other."

"No way!"

"Seriously," Cristina replied. "My roommate's name is Callie, which is short for Calliope. She's hung up on this girl named Arizona."

"Why does this happen to us? We don't do well with crazy in love people. Anyone but us, should be given the role of Cupid. I'm not a matchmaker."

"Technically the match has already been made," Cristina deadpanned.

"Fine!" Meredith exclaimed. "I'm not a reunion…maker."

"Clever, Meredith. Really clever."

Meredith sighed. "Ok so what are we going to do?"

"We're going to make a plan," Cristina replied. "I can't handle one more day of lovesick sadness; it's cramping my style."

So for the next twenty minutes the two friends hatched a plan to get their roommates together. It wasn't a solid plan, but it would be entertaining, nonetheless. Now all Meredith had to do was bully Arizona into a car and drive to Maryland without her noticing. This was definitely plausible.

"Crap," Meredith muttered as she heard the door being unlocked by Arizona. "I have to go, Cristina. I'll call you later. Bye." She shut her phone quickly, climbed onto her bed, and opened her book, hoping she didn't look too suspicious.

Arizona walked into the room, putting her bag by her desk. She turned over her shoulder, jumping at the sight of Meredith on the bed. "Oh my God, Meredith," the blonde said, putting her hand over her heart, "you scared the crap out of me."

"Oh, Sorry."

"It's fine," Arizona said with a sigh, "I just didn't think you were here because the door was locked."

Meredith inwardly cursed. She locked the door so she would know when Arizona was back, but she couldn't tell her that. "Oh. I was changing, and I didn't want you to walk in on me naked."

"Uh huh," Arizona said, her voiced laced with suspicion. "We'll pretend I believe you."

"Did you have a good dinner?" Meredith asked as she continued to read her book.

Arizona nodded. This was common place for the two of them. They often held little conversations before delving into their night's work. Usually, Arizona went to the library while Meredith stayed in the room. It was just the routine they settled into. She felt comfortable around Meredith. They were good roommates; caring, but not too close. It was definitely something Arizona needed. "Dinner was fine. I'm going to go to the library for a bit, but I'll be back within a couple of hours. I don't have much reading."

"Ok," Meredith said. "I think I'll probably head over to Bubba's later. You know…Thirsty Tuesdays and all."

Arizona rolled her eyes. "It's Thirsty Thursdays, Meredith."

"And Tuesdays," the other woman said with a smirk. "Have fun at the library."

Arizona merely laughed as she pulled the door shut behind her. She walked down the hallway towards the exit of her dorm. However, she stopped just outside of the lounge. Making a quick decision, Arizona decided she would study in the Phillips' lounge instead of trekking to the library. As she settled onto a couch, the blonde couldn't help but marvel at the beauty surrounding her. The lounge was furnished by refurbished antique furniture. Mahogany wood decorated the entire room, and the blonde couldn't help but notice how the brown reminded her of a certain pair of eyes twinkling in the sunlight.

She missed Callie. Every fiber of her being missed that woman. She missed the kisses, the hugs, the snuggling, the talking, the giggling, she just missed her. Almost every night, Arizona stared at her phone, debating whether or not she should call her. Every night, she decided on not. She was torturing herself, but there was no way around it. She created this mess, and she wanted to fix it, but she had no idea how.

When she left D.C. for Ohio, Arizona knew it was the right thing to do. She needed time alone, time to think. She never planned to completely cut Callie out of her life, and she deeply regretted that it seemed to happen that way. Nine months later, however, Arizona was ready to admit to herself that she needed Callie in her life. Her body ached without her. All she could think about was how perfect they were together. Their bodies fit amazingly well together, and each time their lips touched, Arizona thought she might faint. No one had ever affected her like Calliope Torres, and no one probably ever would again.

Arizona still stared at her phone. She picked it up and dialed a familiar number.

"Arizona?" A confused voice asked over the line.

"Teddy," the blonde replied, breathing a sigh of relief, "Hi."

"Hey, what's up?"

"I need your help with something."

"I'm all ears."


	12. OMG!

A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been reading and a special thanks to those who have also been reviewing/commenting :) Just fair warning that this fic is coming to a close within a few chapters. I'm not exactly sure how many, but probably no more than four. So yeah...enjoy.

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

Chapter 12: OMG!

Staring up at her ceiling, Callie took a few deep breaths. Nervousness spread through her body as her thoughts drifted to tonight's game. It was the first home game of the season, and the Latina was a little scared. They'd played a few games on the road already, and Callie had performed well off the bench. Now, Coach Friese, placed her in the starting lineup, and Callie wasn't sure she was ready for that. It was odd for her to doubt her abilities even slightly, but this was a big game. They were hosting rival Duke tonight, and the fourth best team in the nation.

Callie understood rankings and numbers; she loved them, so she knew that according to various services, she was the top recruit coming out of high school. She also knew, however, that just because there was a ranking attached to her name in high school, she would perform well in college. People weren't going to lie down in front of her feet, letting her trample over them. If anything, she just had a larger target on her back.

It wasn't uncommon for her to be nervous before games, but she was still adjusting to the absence of Arizona. After nine months, it should have been easy, and for a while it was easy…er. With the start of basketball season, however, Callie really started to feel the emptiness of the void left behind by Arizona. "Arizona," she murmured, running a hand through her dark locks. She'd forgotten how her name felt coming from her lips. She'd barely said her name aloud since the blonde left in March.

Pulling her body from the bed, the Latina slid off the soft surface, her feet landing on the floor with a gentle thud. She put on her basketball sweatpants, a tight white tank, and an Adidas zip-up hoodie before exiting her room quietly. Cristina went to some tennis function really early this morning, but the dorm, for the most part, slept in pretty late. It was just after 9:30, and not a single soul seemed to be stirring in the hallway.

Opting not to go to breakfast, Callie grabbed a banana and a protein bar from her bag. She felt bad for skipping out since a lot of the other girls were going, but truthfully, she just couldn't handle people right now. She'd been faking smiling for months, and this morning she couldn't. She wanted to shoot this morning anyway. The game wasn't until 3:30, but Callie liked to immerse herself in basketball before she played. For that reason, she headed over to the gym, munching on her bar.

She pushed open the door to Maryland's basketball facility, making her way through the dimly lit hallways of the arena. Slipping into the large locker room, the Latina walked over to her locker, and dropped her things on the floor. She slid her feet into the pair of shoes she kept in her locker before continuing out onto the floor. The arena sat completely empty, without light except for the sunlight streaming in through the large windows near the beginning of the dome.

It was just the way Callie liked it. As much as she loved playing under the lights in front of a huge crowd, the brunette enjoyed the simple bond she shared with the basketball even more. In her mind, there was nothing better than shooting in an empty gym. The only thing that could be heard in the building was the bounce of the ball, the clank of the rim, and the swish of the net. She took a couple of dribbles before shooting a jump-shot from about fifteen feet. _Clank. _Getting the rebound, Callie took the ball in for a lay-up. _Swish_. She dribbled out a few feet, pulling up for another jump-shot. _Swish. _

"You're here early," a voice said from behind the Latina.

Callie turned around, smiling when she saw her favorite assistant coach over by the bench. "Good morning Coach."

Monica Wright-McCall was a retired women's basketball player herself. One of the original draftees in the WNBA draft, she had seen just about everything when it came to basketball. She also was experienced enough to note that basketball, or anything in life for that matter revolved around more than just the player. Personal life influences often played an important role as well. A thin smile spread across the coach's lips. "Morning, Callie"

"I didn't think anyone else would be here," the brunette said honestly as she put the ball on her hip.

"I'm always here," the coach replied with a chuckle. "I was surprised anyone else was."

Callie shrugged. "I like to shoot to clear my head."

"Something on your mind, kid?" Monica asked.

Letting out a sigh, Callie walked over to the chairs, and sat down next to her coach. "Nothing I can't handle."

"This wouldn't have to do with a certain point guard that opted out of her verbal commitment would it?"

"Maybe," Callie mumbled. "It's just that basketball has always been my lifeline. I loved it; I still do, but she sort of changed that. We didn't know each other long, but in that time, she became the one thing that kept me sane. Basketball was transformed into something we did together, and we were supposed to come here together. But she left, so now I'm here, alone, reminded of what could have been with every move I make." The Latina inhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Wow, I'm sorry Coach. I didn't mean to say all of that."

Placing a hand on Callie's arm, Monica offered the younger player a warm smile. "Look, I know how you feel, Torres. Feeling the way you do is scary, but don't get too caught up in it. You'll make yourself sick if you worry too much about things you can't control. You're better off focusing on what you need to do as a player and a student. I'm not telling you to forget about her; I just don't want you to get so caught up in your own pain and sadness that you lose yourself in the process. I did that once, and I ended up working in a bank."

"A bank?" Callie asked incredulously.

Monica nodded. "Yeah a bank. Though cut me some slack, there was no WNBA then."

"Wow, Coach," The Latina snorted, "you're old."

Hitting the ball from Callie's hands, Monica jogged out onto the court and hit a short jumper. "Can still take you."

"I don't doubt that," Callie replied, laughing as she chased after her.

* * *

Arizona groaned as her alarm blared through the room. Normally she was a morning person, but for some stupid reason she had let Meredith talk her into road tripping to visit her "person" as she called it. Arizona wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but Meredith still roped her in to going. She was regretting that decision right now. It wasn't that she didn't like Meredith, because she did, it was just driving to wherever they were going was not her ideal activity at 7:00am. Plus, Meredith was being all secretive about where it was they were going in the first place, which was odd behavior for her.

Pulling herself out of bed, Arizona dressed herself and packed her backpack, deciding that she might as well do some reading if she was going to be stuck in a car for God knows how long. Well she might sleep, Arizona amended as she stifled a yawn.

"Arizona," Meredith pleaded, holding open the door. "Let's go. Grab your stuff."

The blonde merely rolled her eyes as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Ok, I'm ready."

"Good," Meredith said with a nod. They exited the room, locking the door behind them. Within a few minutes, they sat in Meredith's car, pulling out of the parking lot, and began their journey.

The open road stretched ahead of them as they traversed the West Virginia countryside. Arizona stared out the window, watching the hills pass by her eyes. Though she normally woke easily in the morning, she found herself to be fighting sleep not a half hour into the drive. She hadn't been sleeping well since she had that conversation with Teddy last week. Her best friend basically let her have it, telling her that when it came to Callie, Arizona really went about it all wrong. Since that night, decent sleep eluded her, instead her thoughts plagued by doubt and fear.

In truth, Arizona was ready to see Callie. She readily admitted the fact that she needed the Latina in her life, but she was so terrified of how Callie would react. Her fear all but crippled her, forcing the blonde to stay in West Virginia. Visions of Callie Torres flooded her mind as her eyes finally flooded shut, sleep washing over her body.

A few hours later, the blonde jolted awake as Meredith parked the car. "Where are we?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Um, the University of Maryland," Meredith replied before getting out of the car.

"Shit," Arizona cursed under her breath. She couldn't believe this was happening, but she didn't want to clue Meredith in. Putting on a brave face, the blonde emerged from the car, her eyes blinking in the sunlight. Memories of her own visit here nearly a year ago rushed into her mind as she surveyed her surroundings.

"Arizona, come on!" Meredith shouted, walking towards the steps of the arena.

The blonde shook her head, walking quickly to catch up to her roommate. Her chest tightened and her stomach fluttered as she entered the large building. She could hear the sounds of a basketball game going on, the noise making her heart pound. Sitting down with Meredith, the blonde's breath caught as she realized what she was watching.

"You ok?" Meredith asked, realizing that Arizona had gone eerily quiet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Arizona replied. "Just a little tired."

"Ok, well Cristina will be here soon, so we don't have to stay if you don't want."

Arizona shook her head. "No I want to stay; I love basketball."

Arching an eyebrow, Meredith turned to her roommate. "Really? You never talk about it."

"It's not really something I talk about," Arizona replied, relaxing into a comfortable silence, and turning her eyes to the game. It was close, definitely too close for comfort. She watched intently as the players ran up and down the court, deeply engaged in the game. Once Callie stepped on the floor, however, Arizona stopped breathing. She was as gorgeous as ever, and if possible, she became even better with a basketball. Watching the brunette move was intoxicating for Arizona. She was simply graceful, and played with such passion that it made Arizona want to pick up a basketball for the first time in months.

She felt that familiar desire coil in her belly as her eyes remained glued to the lithe form sprinting up and down the court. She knew she shouldn't be thinking like this, but she couldn't help it. Her body reacted to Calliope Torres, whether she wanted it to or not. Arizona thought she heard Meredith talking to her, but all of the sound in the room floated in a distance as her eyes trailed Callie's movements on the floor.

"Arizona!" the blonde finally heard her roommate shout.

"Hmm?" Arizona yelled, jumping a little in her seat from being so surprised.

"This is my person, Cristina," Meredith replied, gesturing towards a Korean woman of about the same size and stature as Meredith.

Arizona forced a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," Cristina answered, her tone not nearly as friendly. "You ready to go?" she asked Meredith. "The game's about over, and it looks like we're going to pull it out."

Arizona had to agree with Cristina's assessment. In the last ten minutes, the Terps had begun to pull away from the Blue Devils. Now, with two minutes left, they were up by ten with a two more freethrows coming up. Meredith nodded and looked to Arizona, who also nodded, signaling they could all leave. Though the campus was big, the walk to Cristina's room was surprisingly short.

Arizona collapsed onto one of the chairs in the room, emotionally drained from being on this campus. She resolved that she was going to talk to Callie after seeing her at the game, but she didn't want to hang around after, which was why she came back with Cristina and Meredith. They were talking on Cristina's bed, but Arizona had no idea what it was they were talking about. Their voices were just a mesh of sounds floating through her ears. She was too busy freaking out in her own mind to pay attention to them.

The door to the room began to open, the sudden new introduction of noise grabbing Arizona's attention. She turned to the door, finding herself to be face to face with Callie. "Oh my God, Calliope!"

"Arizona?"


	13. A Trip Down Memory Lane

A/N: WOOT! Here's chapter 13. Thank you so much for continuing to read this story. It really means a lot to me that you do. I just wanted to let you all know that this fic is coming to an end quite quickly. I'm thinking just another chapter or two with an epilogue. I'll try to get all of that sorted out and up as soon as possible. I also wanted to let you all know that after I finish this fic and TFA, I will be on an indefinite hiatus. My semester is just insane and I really need to focus on my school work. I will still be around to chat and mod and things like that, but I will not be publishing any new multi-chaptered stories until the summer (though I'm not ruling out any one-shots). Thank you so much for supporting me. I really do appreciate every single comment and review left. I've gotten to know so many of you, through replies and things of that nature. So yeah, thank you for just being awesome people. Your support humbles me and reminds me why I love to write Calzona fanfic to begin with.

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

Callie couldn't speak; she couldn't move; all she could do was stare at the blonde woman in front of her. To be honest, she had no idea what she was supposed to do. Happiness and shock were her first two reactions, but the longer she stood there, the more those two emotions devolved into anger and frustration. It had been nine months since Arizona, left. Nine excruciatingly painful months. The Latina had to blink once or twice before she believed this was even happening.

She didn't know for how long she was silent, but it was long enough for Arizona to say her name again gently. The caution in the blonde's voice, reminded Callie why she felt like she wanted to vomit. "What are you doing here, Arizona?" the brunette asked softly, finally finding her voice. She steadied herself, using the door handle to support her weight. "What do you want?"

Tears pooled at the corners of Arizona's eyes as she gazed at Callie. She had no idea what to say. She'd been preparing for this moment since her phone call to Teddy last week, but she never expected it to happen so soon. She needed more time; she needed to prepare. This was not ok. "Um," she stammered, "hi."

"Hi?" Callie replied, her tone moving towards anger. "You don't speak to me for 9 months and all you can say is hi?"

"Yes," the blonde blurted before mentally slapping herself. "I mean, no that's not all I have to say. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. I didn't even know I'd see you."

The Latina folded her arms over her chest, very obviously annoyed by this point. "So you didn't mean to see me today either? Were you just planning to disappear for another nine months without speaking to me? Without telling me where you were? That you were safe?" Callie shouted. Damn this felt good. She was pissed and on a roll. "Just get out."

Arizona turned over her shoulder towards Meredith and Cristina, who still sat on Callie's bed. She motioned with her head for them to leave the room. She turned back towards the brunette, looking around distractedly and waiting for the other two girls in the room to leave. Once they shut the door, the blonde exhaled loudly. "Look Calliope, I don't know what you want me to say."

The brunette's jaw clenched. She didn't know from where this anger was coming, but it boiled under her skin. She almost felt bad for Arizona because she was the unfortunate recipient of her rage. Almost. "How about explaining where the hell you've been for the better part of a year?"

"Calliope," the blonde said softly, stepping towards the Latina, "I'm so sorry for hurting you, but please understand that I had no intention of doing so. Me leaving had absolutely nothing to do with you, and everything to do with me and sorting out my brother's death," Arizona said, her voice rising. She knew she hurt Callie and that was something she'd have to deal with over time, but the Latina seemed to be forgetting what caused Arizona to leave in the first place. That said, the blonde simply could not bring herself to be angry with Callie. Ever since she saw her walk into the room, all she wanted to do was cup the Latina's face between her hands, and kiss her tenderly. Even with anger blazing behind her eyes, Arizona still found Callie to be breathtaking. "You look really pretty."

Callie's expression softened at Arizona's words. So much of her wanted to envelop the blonde in her arms, staying there forever, but too much had happened. The anger pressuring her eyes dissipated, leaving sadness and disappointment in its wake. "I think you should go, Arizona."

Hanging her head in defeat, the blonde took a step back from Callie. She walked over to the door, placing her hand on the handle. Looking over her shoulder at Callie, she prayed the Latina would change her mind. But when no words left the brunette's lips, Arizona turned the door handle, and stepped into the hallway. A tear rolled down her cheek as she stared into the Latina's eyes. "Calliope," she whispered hopefully. Her hope vanished, however, as Callie disappeared behind the shield of the closing door.

Blinking away her tears, the blonde turned away from the door. She walked down the hallway of the dorm. With each step she took towards the lobby, Arizona felt the walls close in just a bit further. Tears stung her eyes and her heart felt like it shattered. She nodded solemnly to Meredith who sat with Cristina in the stairwell at the end of the hall. "Meredith," the blonde said sadly, "let's go."

Meredith scrambled off the stairs in a panic. "Wait, what happened?"

"Nothing," the blonde replied, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Can we please just go? I want to get back to Bethany."

Meredith looked sadly to Cristina, who merely shrugged. Meredith figured it was her friend's way of saying c'est la vie. They sucked at playing reunion maker. Seriously, in what messed up world would she and Cristina be good at dealing with lovesick, separated roommates? Clearly not this one, Meredith decided as she followed her roommate down the stairs. "I'll call you," she called over her shoulder to Cristina. Turning back to Arizona, Meredith couldn't help but feel just awful about the whole situation. Instead of helping, she felt like she'd only caused more pain. "I'm sorry," she whispered, pushing open the door leading them outside. "I never should have brought you here."

The blonde whirled around to face her roommate. "What are you talking about, Meredith?"

Meredith opened her mouth to explain, but quickly realized there would be no point. Arizona was already sad enough; there was no need to add a set up on top of that. "Nothing," Meredith answered. "Let's just get back on the road."

Arizona nodded in agreement, falling into step next to her roommate as they walked back to the arena parking lot. Though the blonde could see the hustle and bustle of the campus, she heard nothing. She felt so cold, so lost. The only other time she'd felt like this was when she first learned of her brother's death. She knew Danny wouldn't want her to feel like this; she was raised to be strong, to get through crises. With her brother's death, however, she crumbled, shut down, and ran.

_Arizona stood wearily on the doorstep of Callie's home. She raised a tentative finger to ring the doorbell, before dropping it for the hundredth time. She was chickening out, but Arizona knew she wanted to be here. If she walked away now and got into her car tomorrow morning without saying goodbye to Callie, she' would regret that decision forever. After sighing, yet again, she raised her hand, and rang the doorbell. As she listened to movement in the house, Arizona bit her bottom lip nervously._

_The door swung open, revealing her olive skinned girlfriend wearing a pair of sweatpants and a cami. "Arizona," the Latina said in surprise, moving aside so the blonde could enter, "what are you doing here?"_

_Arizona stepped inside the house, rubbing her arms in an attempt to rid her body of the nervous induced chills. "I really needed to talk to you."_

_"Oh ok," the Latina replied gently. "Tell me what's going on."_

_The blonde sighed heavily. She knew this conversation probably wouldn't go well. "My father was transferred."_

_Callie ran a frustrated hand through her dark waves. She knew there was a possibility of this happening, but she'd hoped Arizona would be able to stay through the year. "Ok," the brunette exhaled. "When do you leave?"_

_"Tomorrow," Arizona replied, cringing as she did so._

Callie leaned against the closed door, sinking to the floor. She just couldn't find the energy to make it back to a chair, let alone her bed. The Latina simply couldn't believe this was happening. After nine months, Arizona just appeared in her dorm room. It was almost comical that it had been nine months. If the situation were any different, Callie probably would have cracked a joke about a secret love child. Her sense of humor, however, didn't exist at the moment.

Relaxing her body against the door, Callie allowed her head to fall back against the wood surface. It felt like Arizona left the room with all of the Latina's energy. She'd been on such a high after the game. They played well, she played well, but once she opened the door to find those penetrating blue eyes staring back at her, it felt like all the air was sucked out of her lungs, not unlike the last time she'd seen the blonde.

_Callie collapsed onto the couch in shock. Her hands shook as she tried to process what was happening. "Tomorrow?" she questioned, not particularly addressing anyone. She bit her lip in a futile attempt to hold back her tears. Furiously brushing her cheeks, Callie stood from the comfort of the couch, her strong frame confronting Arizona. "How long have you known?"_

_"A couple of weeks," the blonde mumbled._

_"A couple of weeks?" Callie repeated angrily. "And you're just bringing this up now? We've spent nearly every moment together since the championship game. You're supposed to sign your letter of intent tomorrow with me by your side," the brunette stopped talking as she saw a pained expression cross Arizona's features. "You are still going to Maryland right?"_

Arizona felt like bashing her head against the dashboard of Meredith's car. Every bit of her felt like it was shattering. She'd finally gotten her chance with Callie and she blew it. She'd expected anger from Callie, almost welcomed it even. At least that meant the Latina still cared. The amount of hurt in Callie's eyes, however, pained the blonde so much that she virtually folded without a fight. Since her discussion with Teddy, Arizona resolved that she would hold her ground, but one look into those brown eyes, and she was running for the hills. Literally.

She stared out the window, still resisting the urge to bang her head against something. Everything about this situation sucked. She wanted so badly to fix it, but if today told her one thing, it was that this might not be fixable. So much had happened between the two of them, and Arizona had no idea where Callie stood. She liked to believe that it was the hurt slamming the door in her face this afternoon, but the brunette very well might just be done. She might have only wanted closure, and quite frankly, Arizona couldn't blame her. After all, she left first.

_Arizona froze at her girlfriend's question. She was hoping to avoid this question, but that was irrational. "No," she answered with a sigh. "I'm not going to Maryland."_

_"Arizona, you're supposed to sign tomorrow," Callie pleaded._

_The blonde shook her head. "I've already called Coach," she said, shaking her head. "Calliope, I can't go to Maryland right now. I need to figure this stuff out."_

_"Where are you going?" the Latina asked, hoping to God it wasn't that far away._

_"I um," Arizona stammered, "I'm not going to tell you."_

_Callie angrily clenched her fists at her side. "Why the hell not?"_

_"Calliope," the blonde said exasperatedly, "I'm drowning right now. Danny is gone and I am drowning. I need some space and time to just get away from it all."_

_Callie stepped forward, grabbing the blonde's hand, and lacing their fingers together. "Let me be there for you. I want to support you."_

_"Calliope," Arizona breathed. "I can't."_

"Hey," Cristina shouted as she pushed her body against the door. "Let me in the room."

Callie pulled her body off the floor, using her remaining few ounces of energy. "Sorry," she said as she let Cristina back into the room. "I was just sitting for a bit."

"Being mopey about Blondie?" Cristina asked, though she was relatively unconcerned.

"Yeah," the Latina confessed, collapsing against her chair.

The Asian woman chewed on an apple she'd "liberated" from the cafeteria that morning. "The one that got away huh?"

Callie sighed heavily. "Something like that."

_Upon hearing those words, Callie finally let the tears fall from her eyes. Nothing about this was going to be ok. Arizona was leaving and she made it quite obvious that she was not going to change her mind. All Callie wanted to do was be there for her girlfriend, and it ripped her apart that apparently she wasn't enough. But she also understood that Arizona had a strong bond with her brother and to have that severed so suddenly must be unbearably painful for her. As much as she just wanted to be mad and scream at the blonde, she couldn't bring herself to do it. If this was going to be their last night, Callie didn't want to waste it on anger and harsh words. She pulled Arizona close to her. "Just stay with me…for tonight. Just. Stay."_

_"You sure?" Arizona asked._

_"Yeah."_

"So you're really going to just let her drive away?" Cristina said suddenly.

"What?" the brunette replied, surprised at her roommate's comment.

"It's just obvious that you like her, maybe even love her, so I don't get what you're doing sitting here. Just go after her."

Callie arched her eyebrows. "Are you suggesting that I drive to West Virginia?"

"That is exactly what I'm suggesting," the Asian woman answered.

"I'll think about it," the Latina decided, crossing her legs in her chair. She knew she was being stubborn. There was no doubt in her mind that she loved Arizona; one look today had confirmed that. She didn't want to live her life regretting any decisions. She hated wondering "what if?". "Throw me your keys," she said to Cristina.

"What?" her roommate asked, sitting up from her bed.

"Throw me your keys," Callie repeated. "I thought about it."

Hopping off her bed, Cristina brandished her keys from her back pocket. She hung them out for Callie before snatching them back, and twisting the loop around on her finger. "You don't really think I'd let you go alone do you?"

Grabbing her jacket off the back of the chair, Callie stood, and made her way to the door. She twisted the handle, pulling open the entrance. "Let's go," she said, gesturing out to the hallway, "we've got a car to catch."

.


	14. Halo

A/N: Good God this took forever! Thanks for all the reviews. You guys rock!

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

Chapter 14: Halo

Callie drummed on the steering wheel of Cristina's Mazda, tapping her left foot against the floor nervously. Some mix of random rap songs thumped through the speakers in a mixture of synthesizers and processed music. The brunette took in her surroundings, finding the car to be just as cluttered as most other spaces in Cristina's life. They hadn't been on the road for very long, but Callie could feel her nerves building. She had a feeling it would only get worse as they got closer. She didn't think they were very far behind, but she hadn't let Cristina call Meredith, mostly because if she allowed her roommate to make a definitive plan, then this speeding car chase was actually happening. Callie preferred to think it a meaningless road trip for the moment.

The brunette sighed, pressing her foot a little harder on the gas. Who was she kidding? She couldn't even attempt to pretend this drive on the interstate was anything less significant than a quest. Yes, she was on a quest for love, and quite frankly, Callie didn't give a damn about how cheesy it was. She couldn't believe she let Arizona walk out her door, or even that she told the blonde she should leave in the first place. In hindsight, the Latina knew she could have saved herself a little bit of trouble if she hadn't been so stubborn.

Of course, she knew she was taking a big risk, driving after Arizona like this. She didn't even have a plan. Well she sort of had a plan, but that only included driving. After she got out of the car, there was no plan. Basically, she was fucked, in not so eloquent words. Callie turned her head briefly to Cristina who rested her feet on the dashboard and bobbed her head to the music. Feeling eyes on her, Cristina looked at Callie weirdly, chewing on licorice.

"Keep your eyes on the road, Torres," the Asian woman said playfully.

"Jeez, how did I end up with such a pleasant roommate?" Callie asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she passed another car.

Cristina threw a piece of licorice at Callie. "That pleasant roommate is going with you on some romantic love chase."

"I can pull over, you know. No one is making you come along," the brunette replied with a smirk.

Cristina shrugged as she relaxed back into her chair. "I miss Mer, so I'm ok with tagging along."

The Latina's smirk slowly turned into a smile as she heard Cristina's words. Though her roommate was cut-throat, and had a rough exterior, she was a good person and an even better friend. She could tell just in the brief moments Cristina mentioned Meredith that they had a special friendship. She was a little envious of it to be honest, but she did have Mark and Addison. There was something about Meredith and Cristina, though. The guy Cristina had been seeing called them the Twisted Sisters, which amused the Latina to no end.

They continued down the highway, Callie tapping on the steering wheel and Cristina eating her licorice and messing around on her phone. "They're about a half hour ahead of us," Cristina reported.

"Damn," Callie cursed, "Meredith drives fast."

"Psh," Cristina snorted. "You should ride with Derek. He drives fast. Meredith is like a sloth compared to him."

"That's disturbing," the brunette commented. "How far away are we?"

Cristina shrugged. "A couple hours or something? I don't really know."

"Helpful…really," Callie deadpanned, her focus returning to the road. She cranked the stereo as an old favorite began to thump through the speakers. They belted out the lyrics/rapped badly for the remaining portion of the drive. Finally, they were descending the hill towards what the GPS told them was Bethany. Immediately, Callie understood the charm of the small school. It was buried in the rolling hills of West Virginia, quiet, and quaint. It was exactly the kind of place she could see Arizona escaping to.

She navigated the small car down the hill and under the bridge, before she turned to go up Old Main hill. "Where does Meredith live?" Callie asked, continuing to drive slowly around the campus.

"She said Phillips, I think," Cristina answered, scrolling through her phone. "Yeah, Phillips."

"Oh, I found it," the brunette said as she pulled the car into the parking lot behind the building she'd seen labeled as Phillips. "Do you see Meredith's car?"

"Yeah, it's over there," Cristina said, motioning to the Honda a couple of spaces down.

"Great," Callie replied sarcastically. She still was trying to grasp the fact that she actually drove five hours like she was the star in some awful romance movie, or worse, a Nora Roberts novel.

"Get it together, Torres," Cristina hissed. "You came here for a reason. Just take a breath."

The Latina quirked an eyebrow. "Who knew you were so motivational?"

"I'm going to go find Meredith," the Asian woman stated. "She said she was in the lounge or something like that."

"Ok," Callie said with a nod. "Did she tell you which room is hers?"

Cristina glanced at her phone. "114."

"Ok," the brunette exhaled, walking towards the door of the dorm. "I can do this." She pulled open the door to the building, stepped inside, and walked down the hall away from the lounge. Her eyes scanned the doors for the number of Arizona's room. Once she found it, Callie stood in front of the door, battling internally over what she should do. Finally deciding that to turn around now would be ridiculous, the Latina raised her hand, and quickly knocked on the door before she could change her mind.

The door swung open to reveal a teary eyed Arizona. "Calliope!" she gasped, furiously wiping away her straying tears. "What are you doing here?"

"I drove here to see you," the Latina answered.

"I see that," Arizona replied hastily. "But why? You're the one who told me to leave. Why on earth would you come all the way out here, especially after everything that has happened?"

"Because I love you," Callie blurted.

"What?" the blonde asked, choking from surprise.

The Latina swallowed, hoping she could get through this. "I love you."

"You do?" Arizona asked cautiously.

"I do, Arizona. I really do," Callie whispered before leaning in. Her lips neared the blonde's, about to connect them in what was a much overdue reunion…

"I can't," Arizona said softly, stepping back from Callie.

The Latina's jaw hit the floor. This was supposed to be the easy part. Pulling her head out of her own ass to drive across the country had been the difficult end of this process. At this point, there were supposed to be kisses and hugs and a whole lot of makeup sex. This was not going according to any plan. "I'm sorry, what?"

The blonde sighed as she increased the distance between the two women. "We aren't ready to do this, Calliope. We've barely talked about anything. I don't blame you for telling me to leave; I would have done the exact same thing."

Callie threw her hands up into the air, an exasperated breath escaping her lips. "Arizona, what the hell are you talking about? I just drove four hours to stand here and tell you I love you."

"We're not ready, Calliope," the blonde threw back. "I'm not ready."

The Latina's face softened. "You're ready, Arizona."

The shorter woman shook her head. "No I'm not, Calliope."

"I'll make you a deal," the brunette offered. "Play me."

"Wait. What?"

"Get your shit, take me to the gym, and play me."

The blonde smirked. "What are we playing for?"

The Latina stepped closer to Arizona, forcing them further into the room, and allowing the blonde to feel the energy flowing between them. "You know what we're playing for, Arizona."

"I'll get my stuff," Arizona conceded. She rummaged through her closet, pulling out a box. She grabbed her shoes before getting into her dresser, and taking out a pair of black shorts. Brushing past Callie, she exited the room into the hallway, motioning with a nod of her head for the Latina to follow. "The gym is this way."

Callie followed Arizona out of Phillips into the cool winter air. They took a path around the back of an academic building, seemingly heading for the edge of a cliff. The Latina was soon relieved, though, as the bridge across to the athletic center came into view. They crossed it quickly, Callie more cautiously than Arizona. The blonde pulled open the door to the athletic complex. She briefly considered taking Callie to the fieldhouse, but Arizona hated that floor. She'd heard of way too many knee injuries happening on rubber floors to truly consider playing on one, let alone let Callie go near it. Instead, she opted to lead them to the small gym where the basketball teams played their games and practiced. The floor was nice enough and it was old school, something Callie was bound to appreciate.

Arizona jogged quickly to the ball crate in the back corner, her hands undoing the lock in a flash. She tossed a ball blindly over her shoulder in the general direction of Callie. Glancing over her shoulder, Arizona saw the Latina messing around with the basketball not paying any attention to her. Grabbing the shorts she brought, the blonde slid her jeans down her legs, before stepping into the baggy, black shorts.

Across the gym, Callie tried to ignore Arizona's quick changing display. She couldn't believe she actually forgot how physically attracted she was to the blonde. Just one peek at the milky skin of her legs threw Callie into a tailspin. As Arizona turned around, the Latina averted her eyes, pretending to be looking elsewhere.

"You ready?" Arizona called to the other woman, deciding to ignore the fact that she'd caught Callie staring at her.

Callie nodded and tossed the ball to Arizona. "Your ball first. Home court advantage and all that."

The Latina bent her legs, getting down into her defensive stance. She allowed Arizona some space to reacquaint herself with the basketball and what it feels like to be wearing her shoes again. The blonde skipped into a quick stutter step, freezing Callie for just a moment. Before the Latina could recover, Arizona bolted past her to the hoop for a layup. "1-0," she called, sauntering back to the three-point line.

Callie grimaced and squeezed the ball hard. Arizona was so freaking stubborn. "Check," she spat, a little harsher than she intended. The blonde accepted the ball, and seeing the amount of space Callie had given her, she raised it to shoot. The Latina, however, had anticipated this move, and swatted the ball from Arizona's hands, before laying it in unceremoniously. "One all."

"Check," Arizona said, throwing the ball to Callie. The brunette jabbed her foot at Arizona, causing the blonde to stumble backwards. Stepping back, Callie let the ball fly towards the basket, smiling upon watching it swish through the bottom of the net.

"3-1," Callie playfully remarked, tilting her head as a smirk flashed over her lips.

Arizona exhaled as she rolled the ball between her hands. She knew she didn't have a shot in hell against Callie. Even when she played her best basketball, the Latina could still beat her. She had no idea what she was doing. "I can't beat you, Callie." Arizona said defeated.

"Sure you can," the Latina shrugged. "You've done it before."

Stepping closer, Arizona allowed the ball to slip from her hands, and roll towards the back wall. "You and I both know that me beating you in the past has absolutely no bearing on my abilities right now. I haven't played for months, and even if I could…" The blonde trailed.

"And what?" Callie asked, her tone laced with frustration.

"Even if I could beat you, I don't want to," Arizona confessed, hanging her head.

The Latina couldn't contain her smile. She reached under Arizona's chin, tilting her head up so their eyes locked. "Why do you make everything so damn hard?" Callie asked, chuckling as she did so. "You actually made me play defense."

Arizona giggled at the Latina's words. "I'm just really stupid."

"Not stupid," the brunette replied, caressing Arizona's cheek, "just stubborn."

"I love you too," the blonde whispered. "I didn't say it before, but I do. I really do."

Callie didn't reply, instead she wordlessly closed the gap between them, and crushed their lips together. They both smiled into the kiss as they melded their bodies together at the three point line. Their reunion made all their troubles nearly worth it. They'd found the light at the end of the tunnel, made their way through the fog, and back to each other. It hurt, and it sucked, but growing pains always do.

THE END

* * *

A/N2: Ok so this is the end of the road for GP. As is becoming my typical fashion…I will write an epilogue for this as well. It will wrap up everything left for this story. A special thank you to the love of my life, Alleon, for putting up with all my crap. Also, thank you to Skones. You're awesome, and a great friend. I also want to thank you all for sticking with me through my inconsistent updating tendencies. This fic has been going on for like 5 months I think or something like that, and it truly means the world to me that you have all stuck with this until the end. You rock! I love you all…and I will hopefully have an update for Things Fall Apart soon, if you read that as well.


	15. Epilogue

A/N: So here's the epilogue…it's mostly unbetaed so I'll fix stuff later. Thank you to everyone who has put this on alerts, favorite, read, and reviewed. It's been a treat to write for you.

Happy Reading,

~KB~

* * *

"Will you take this?" Arizona asked, handing her girlfriend a box.

"Yeah sure," Callie replied sarcastically. It wasn't like she had a choice before the box was shoved into her hands. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Hey now," Arizona said, standing up, "one of the conditions of our deal was that you had to help me move in."

The brunette threw her head back, groaning at the reminder of that dumb deal. "That was before I knew how much stuff you had."

"Then maybe you should have played a little harder, Baby," Arizona quipped, tossing a wink at her now flabbergasted girlfriend.

The Latina moaned as Arizona walked away, her lips swinging in a taunting dance before Callie's very eyes. "You don't play fair."

"See something you want, Calliope?" The blonde asked, enjoying their flirty banter as she walked up the stairs in front of the brunette.

Callie wanted to kill Arizona in that moment. Well, perhaps not kill. Watching her move up the stairs, though, tortured the Latina. "I hate you."

Once on the landing, Arizona turned to face Callie, a playful glint in her eye. She leaned towards her girlfriend, dropping a kiss on her sweet lips. "No you don't, Baby. You love me."

The brunette couldn't keep the smile off her face at Arizona's sweet, but flirty gesture. She missed this part of the relationship the most during the time when they were rebuilding. It had been a year since their one-on-one game in the gym at Bethany, and things couldn't have been going more smoothly. Of course, it took a little while for them for figure everything out, but it wasn't long before they were able to resume their pattern of flirty quips and smiles. "You're amazing," Callie murmured against the blonde's lips.

Arizona blushed at the Latina's sudden confession. Any compliment from Callie was capable of turning the blonde into a pile of mush. "You're silly," she replied, trying to cover up her bout of nerves and flutters with some cuteness. "Let's finish the stairs please."

Callie nodded as they continued to climb the remaining few stairs to Arizona's dorm room. Their new arrangement was still a bit surreal to her. In some ways it felt like the part of their relationship from the state title game to when they reunited last fall hadn't happened. They were stronger than ever and finally open with each other. Arizona had plenty of bad days, when the pain of her brother's death would be overwhelming, but instead of shutting Callie out, they'd worked together to make sure there was enough trust between them to allow for free flowing communication.

The Latina stumbled behind Arizona, tripping over her foot as the blonde held open the door for her. Grateful for the gesture, but embarrassed by her own clumsiness, Callie tried to cover up her blush by coughing and turning the other way. "Oh man," the brunette exhaled, fanning herself after her fake coughing fit, "that was a long climb."

Arizona smirked as she pressed a kiss to Callie's temple. "You're adorable," she whispered, "even when you trip."

"Can we just forget it ever happened?" the brunette asked quietly.

"Yeah sure," Arizone replied, chuckling as she stepped back from Callie. She picked up the box from the Latina's feet, dropping it on her pristine desk. "Here," she said, taking out a couple of books and thrusting them into Callie's hands, "take these and put them on that shelf."

"Ugh," Callie groaned as she turned her back to her blonde girlfriend so she could place the items at their designated home. "Remind me why you can't just bring everything you need to school in one fell swoop. Why are you still bringing books?"

"Because those books, Calliope, are ones that I left at home until I was sure I had time to read them," the blonde replied curtly, becoming exasperated with her girlfriend's crankiness.

"Hey," Callie said softly, turning to face the blonde. "Don't get frustrated with me."

"I'm sorry," the blonde replied. She stretched before shaking out her muscles, something she often did to make herself feel better. A smile returning to her face, she looked at Callie expectantly. "Well," she said, raising her eyebrows, "aren't you going to apologize as well. You were being cranky…and annoying."

Callie chuckled as she stepped forward. "I'm sorry I was cranky," the Latina murmured before placing a lingering kiss on the blonde's temple. "You ready for pre-game?" the brunette inquired, moving towards the door of Arizona's room.

"Yeah," the blonde answered, picking up her University of Maryland Women's Basketball jacket, and following Callie to the door. Lacing their fingers together, the blonde leaned into her girlfriend's shoulder as they walked down the hall. She couldn't believe they were in this position. If someone told her a year ago that she would end up at Maryland anyway despite her detour, Arizona would have called them crazy. And yet it still happened.

After their one-on-one match about a year ago, Callie and Arizona began to work on their relationship in earnest. Because of the distance between them, they were relegated to using the phone and texting mostly, but whenever their schedules allowed for it, the two young women made plans to Skype. Callie helped the blonde overcome her reluctance to play basketball. It was something that really brought the two of them together.

While Arizona was happy at Bethany, she was not a fan of the distance by any means. Transferring had bounced around in her head for a little bit, especially during Christmas. Callie visited her at home for a couple of days after the holiday. Arizona could feel the connection and love already growing between them. After Callie went home, the blonde talked to her parents about the possibility of her transferring to Maryland. Of course they countered with the burning question: will you play there?

That was something about which, Arizona thought long and hard. On one hand, she did want to play again, but that was presuming Coach Friese would even let that happen. After talking with Callie, however, Arizona was determined to make it back to Maryland and on the team. Many months later, however, she was walking with her girlfriend across the Maryland campus to the women's basketball locker room. Somehow it all worked out.

"What are you thinking about?" the Latina asked, seeing the smile dance across her girlfriend's lips.

"Just how awesome my life is right now," Arizona replied.

Callie chuckled and shook her head. "You and that word."

"You're just jealous you can't pull it off," the blonde quipped, giving Callie's hand a loving squeeze.

The Latina smirked playfully. "You know I'm awesome," Callie whispered, "I remember you saying so last night."

"Calliope!" Arizona admonished, a blush creeping up her cheeks. She smacked Callie on the arm. "You're so dirty."

"Ok, ok," Callie responded, her tone reassuring. She opened the door to the entrance of the marina, holding it for Arizona.

The blonde took a deep breath, reveling in the cool air of the chilled arena. She was so excited to play today. Lacing her fingers through Callie's once again, Arizona smiled. They walked down to the floor and entered the locker room. Even though she'd been in there many times, the blonde still enjoyed the way the thick carpet felt underneath her toes. Walking over to her locker, Arizona shuddered at the rush of adrenaline coursing through her body. Slipping her jersey over her head, the blonde pulled the fabric over her toned torso. She stepped into her shorts and pulled them up to her hips. She could see Callie putting on her uniform and instantly felt heat all over. Something about her girlfriend in a basketball uniform always lit her fire.

Turning from her girlfriend, Arizona managed to finish putting on her uniform for the game. She tied her hair back in a nice, short ponytail. Flashing Callie a smirk, she stepped into her place in the warm up line. As they began to jog out through the tunnel and onto the floor, the blonde's heart began to pout in her ears. It was the first home game of the year, and she couldn't wait. Tapping the poster on the wall, Arizona joined her teammates in a near sprint as they ran out onto the court in the midst of screaming fans.

The team jogged across the floor, going through their warm-up routine. Arizona felt her confidence soaring as she hit jumper after jumper. Her shoes squeaked against the floor with each step she took on the hardwood. The cheers danced in her ears, the noise hyping her up further.

As the buzzer sounded to signal the end of warm-ups, Arizona joined the team on the bench. She barely registered what the coach was telling her. She looked at Callie out of the corner of her eyes. The chocolate, brown eyes staring back at her seemed to tell her calm down. Feeling a wash of calm come over her, Arizona sighed as Callie placed a reassuring hand on her thigh. "You. Are. Great," the Latina whispered before running onto the court at the sound of the announcer screaming her name into the microphone.

Exhaling, Arizona braced herself. She was next. Her heart stopped as the announcer said her name. She trotted through the line of her teammates, slapping their hands before reaching the other starters. They huddled up and discussed the game plan, breaking out with a loud Maryland cheer. Callie winked at the blonde from her spot on the right side of the circle. Arizona returned the playfulness with a smirk, the mischievous glint returning to her eyes.

Settling into the court, Arizona waited for tip-off. The whistle sounded and the ref tossed the ball into the air. The Maryland center tipped the ball back to Arizona, who dribbled it up the court. Using her quickness, the blonde stutter stepped into a shot fake, catching the defender off balance. With her defender out of position, she made a quick pass to the wing, initiating the play. The ball was worked around the perimeter before returning to the blonde's hands. Arizona jab stepped at the top foot of her defender. She blew past the girl, heading straight for the bucket. Just as she was about to lay it in, a defender slid into the lane, and cut her off. Spinning around the girl, Arizona spotted Callie cutting to the basket. Looking the other way, she flicked the ball behind her back and straight into Callie's hands. The Latina effortlessly laid put the ball through the hoop, giving the Terps an early lead. Jogging back down the court, Callie shot Arizona knowing look.

It was good to be home.

Fin.


End file.
